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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of A Trip to the Orient, by Robert Urie Jacob
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: A Trip to the Orient
+       The Story of a Mediterranean Cruise
+
+Author: Robert Urie Jacob
+
+Release Date: March 12, 2010 [EBook #31609]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A TRIP TO THE ORIENT ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Peter Vickers and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: WE ENTERED THROUGH THE GATE OF JUSTICE.]
+
+
+
+
+A TRIP TO THE ORIENT
+
+
+The Story of a
+Mediterranean
+Cruise
+
+
+BY
+ROBERT URIE JACOB
+
+
+[Illustration]
+
+ILLUSTRATED
+
+
+THE JOHN C. WINSTON CO.
+PHILADELPHIA
+
+
+
+
+
+Copyright 1907, by
+ROBERT URIE JACOB.
+
+
+Half-tones made by
+The Photo-Chromotype Engraving Co.
+Philadelphia, Pa.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+"A Trip to the Orient, the Story of a Mediterranean Cruise," by Robert
+Urie Jacob, has been written at the request of fellow-travelers who did
+not have time to take notes by the way.
+
+One said, "Do not write a guide book nor a love story, but a simple
+narrative that will recall the incidents and delightful experiences of
+the tour." Following these suggestions, but with many misgivings, the
+author has undertaken and completed the work, assisted in the editing
+and proof-reading by Miss Ruth Collins, of the Drexel Institute, and by
+Miss Anna C. Kauffman.
+
+An interesting feature of the book is the large number of illustrations
+made from artistic photographs, all of which have been kindly
+contributed by amateur photographers. It contains nearly two hundred
+illustrations of views or incidents in Funchal, Granada, Algiers, Malta,
+Athens, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Cairo, Luxor, Naples, and Nice,
+reproduced from photographs taken by Mr. L. O. Smith, Rev. G. B.
+Burnwood, Mr. Charles Louis Sicarde, Mr. Franklin D. Edmunds, Mr.
+Roberts LeBoutellier, Mrs. Charles S. Crosman, Miss M. Florence
+Pannebaker, Mr. Walter F. Price, Mr. S. L. Schumo, Mr. George C.
+Darling, Mr. Howard E. Pepper, Mr. John W. Converse, Mr. C. Edwin Webb,
+and Mr. Edwin Alban Bailey.
+
+The story was intended specially for voyagers who have visited the same
+places, but it may be almost equally interesting to those who are
+planning a similar trip. And those who must stay at home may in these
+pages be able to look through another's eyes at the places described.
+
+If the book should in any slight way deepen the pleasant memories of
+those who have made the trip, or if it should give pleasure to those who
+must picture those scenes only in their imagination, the author will
+feel that his effort has not been in vain.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER.                                  PAGE.
+
+     I. ON THE OCEAN                            1
+
+    II. FUNCHAL                                10
+
+   III. GIBRALTAR                              24
+
+    IV. GRANADA AND THE ALHAMBRA               38
+
+     V. THE CITY OF ALGIERS                    60
+
+    VI. THE ISLAND OF MALTA                    82
+
+   VII. ATHENS AND THE ACROPOLIS               97
+
+  VIII. CONSTANTINOPLE AND SANTA SOPHIA       128
+
+    IX. THE SELAMLIK AND THE TREASURY         154
+
+     X. FROM THE BOSPORUS TO PALESTINE        179
+
+    XI. JERUSALEM                             199
+
+   XII. THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE      227
+
+  XIII. CAIRO AND THE PYRAMIDS                257
+
+   XIV. LUXOR AND KARNAK                      296
+
+    XV. ON THE NILE                           327
+
+   XVI. NAPLES AND POMPEII                    353
+
+  XVII. NICE AND MENTONE                      378
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+ON THE OCEAN.
+
+
+"Have you decided to go?" inquired my friend. Before us on the table lay
+an illustrated booklet containing the prospectus of a cruise to the
+Mediterranean. Its contents had been under consideration for some days.
+
+"Yes," I answered, "I will write to-day to secure state room
+accommodations for our party. Nevertheless I am not quite sure that it
+is wise to take the trip."
+
+"Why?"
+
+"For two reasons. First, are seventy days long enough to make a cruise
+of nearly fourteen thousand miles and visit so many places? Second, with
+five hundred passengers will there not be a crowd?"
+
+"Well, those doubts never troubled me. Seventy days is all that can be
+spared from my business, and much may be seen in that time. As to the
+number of passengers, every steamer carries its full complement. At any
+rate, you are going, so think no more of your doubts. You will probably
+forget that you had any."
+
+So it was that at seven o'clock on the morning of the fifth of February,
+when the steamship Moltke left her dock at New York, we stood among the
+passengers lined along her rail. The hawsers had been cast off, whistles
+were blowing, and tugs were puffing in their efforts to push and pull
+the huge vessel into the stream.
+
+At that early hour of a wintry day there was no crowd filling the pier,
+no sea of faces looking upward, no waving of handkerchiefs and flags,
+the usual sight when a great liner departs. The wharf, cheerless and
+dismal, appeared to be almost deserted. Its only occupants were a few
+scattered onlookers shivering in the cold, and the officials and
+employees whose duties required their presence. But on the Moltke, in
+spite of the chill air and the gray morning, all were animated and
+eager. The band played the "Belle of New York" while the ship was being
+warped into the stream, and the "American Patrol" while it was steaming
+down the river. The tourists, alert and expectant, viewed the panorama
+of the city as the tall buildings were brought into strong relief
+against the brightening sky, saw Liberty's cap reflect the rays of the
+rising sun, then watched the incoming steamers, and the forts and
+lighthouses that seemed to approach and pass. Just outside of Sandy Hook
+our pilot with a satchel of letters descended the rope ladder to the
+waiting tug, and soon afterwards the low-lying shores became dimmer and
+dimmer until they disappeared from view.
+
+The farewells had been exchanged on the previous day, when the promenade
+decks and saloons of the steamer were thronged with passengers, friends,
+and curious visitors, and the after-deck was encumbered with piles of
+baggage. Then, the tables in the main saloon were filled with boxes of
+flowers, baskets of fruit, packages of confectionery, and bundles of
+steamer letters marked to be opened on certain days after sailing.
+
+Before the departure we had met the deck steward and with his
+assistance had located our steamer chairs; for in the places then
+selected the chairs were to remain throughout the long cruise. We had
+also interviewed the chief steward, had obtained from him a passenger
+list, and had arranged that our party should be seated together at one
+of the side tables in the dining saloon.
+
+[Illustration: AT THE HOUR OF AFTERNOON TEA.]
+
+The passenger list contained four hundred and fifty-three names. Among
+these were thirteen preceded by the title Reverend, thirteen by Doctor,
+and a number by military or other titles of honor. Every state in the
+Union and several provinces of Canada had representatives on the list.
+
+During the first three days' sailing a storm, which had been predicted
+as approaching from the west when we left New York, followed but did not
+overtake us. We could not, however, remain on deck as long as desired,
+for the wind was chilly and the ocean rough. But each morning, laden
+with heavy wraps and rugs, we sought our steamer chairs. Then, settled
+comfortably under the wraps and rugs carefully tucked around us by the
+attentive steward, we defied the cold for an hour or two and inhaled the
+invigorating air.
+
+As the vessel made her way southward, the temperature moderated and the
+sea became smooth. By the time the stormy weather had passed, the
+tourists, accustomed to ship motion and ship life, spent most of their
+time upon the decks. Then, to increase sociability and make the time
+pass pleasantly, self-appointed committees met and laid plans for card
+parties, lectures, concerts, and dances.
+
+On the fifth night out the southern side of the promenade deck was
+curtained with awnings, cleared of chairs, decorated with flags and
+Chinese lanterns, and brilliantly illuminated with clusters of electric
+lights, for an impromptu dance. Music was furnished by the band, and
+Father Neptune kindly kept his waves in subjection, although an
+occasional roll caused some unsteadiness in the movements of the
+waltzers.
+
+By that time we knew many of our fellow-voyagers. For, as we had similar
+plans, a common destination, and the same pleasures in anticipation, we
+readily made friendships. We chatted around the table during the
+luncheon and dinner hours, took a hand in euchre with men in the smoking
+room, or a place at whist with the ladies in the music room, and
+exchanged pleasantries and experiences with our neighbors while
+occupying the steamer chairs. Friendships grew rapidly under these
+favorable conditions. Sometimes chats with new acquaintances which began
+in a mirthful way changed to talks of a serious kind as some spoken word
+recalled home and friends left behind, and conversations when prolonged
+became almost confidential in their character.
+
+One afternoon while we were sipping the tea which had been served, a
+lady who occupied a chair next ours, said:--"I enjoy so much my hours in
+the gymnasium. Each morning I take a gallop on the electric horse and
+get my blood into circulation. The first day I felt rather timid in the
+saddle when the custodian asked, 'Fast or slow?' so I said, 'Start
+slow,' but I quickly had him increase the speed, for I'm used to
+horseback riding."
+
+"We're from Texas, you know," spoke up a young woman sitting close by.
+
+"You should practice riding on the electric camel in preparation for our
+trip into Egypt," I suggested.
+
+"We have; we've tried all the arm and foot movements and have been
+thumped on the back, and on the chest, and even on our heads," responded
+the young woman. "But I wished for a rowing machine. Rowing is my
+favorite exercise."
+
+"Before we left home we all had many misgivings about this trip,"
+remarked the elder sister. "We knew how large these steamships really
+are, but yet we had visions of many possible discomforts during so long
+a journey. We disliked tours in sleeping cars and couldn't realize the
+difference between traveling in cars and in ships. But our stateroom
+here is very cozy with the wardrobes and the racks for our books and our
+pictures."
+
+"And it seems homelike, too," added the other.
+
+The life on shipboard was to many a novel experience. In the mornings we
+were roused from our slumbers by the notes of a bugle. The first day
+when the reveille sounded I looked at my watch. It was a quarter to
+eight. "Must I get up?" I thought. Then remembering that the breakfast
+hour was from eight to ten, I closed my eyes. But soon there came a
+gentle tapping at the door. "Who's there?" I asked. "Your bath is ready,
+sir." The words were English but the accents were plainly German. That
+call was more imperative than the bugler's, for I might miss my
+invigorating salt water dip if I did not quickly respond. After a
+breakfast of fruit, cereals, chops, and coffee we went to the deck for a
+tramp. "Ten rounds of the promenade deck make a mile," said my
+room-mate consulting his pedometer. Then we strolled to the library for
+books, but the books lay unread in our laps when we were seated in our
+steamer chairs; for how could our minds be fixed on the story when the
+real life before us was more interesting? The Professor who was to
+lecture during the trip stepped by with rapid tread, nodding as he
+passed. The minister from Iowa who was to preach on the Sabbath stopped
+to exchange greetings, a friend dropped into a vacant chair for a talk.
+Then the music stands were set up and the band assembled around them and
+for an hour we listened to selections from Wagner and Bach, varied with
+the martial strains of Sousa or the melodies of Foster. The stewards
+brought out a table, filled it with dishes, and served bouillon and
+biscuit, while near by a kodak carrier was snapping a picture.
+
+[Illustration: I. COMFORTABLY SEATED WITH A BOOK.]
+
+[Illustration: II. THE BAND WAS PLAYING CARMEN.]
+
+On the ship there were many places of interest. When in need of exercise
+we visited the gymnasium on the upper deck, and when desirous of a
+change in cooking we resorted to the grill room where the white clad
+cook broiled chops in our sight over a bright fire. Impelled by
+curiosity, we explored the vacant steerage, and with the chief engineer
+descended the iron ladder to the depths below to investigate the
+mysteries of the engine and fire rooms. Sometimes from the breezy
+fore-deck we scanned the horizon for the ships that rarely appeared, and
+sometimes sought a snug corner aft and watched the swift-winged gulls,
+the quivering log line, the smoke clouds and their shadows, or the
+widening streak of water disturbed by the revolving screw.
+
+"How rapidly the week has passed," said a friend on the evening of the
+twelfth of February. "Listen! One, two, three, four," as the ship's bell
+rang out four strokes. "Four bells, that's six o'clock. We have half an
+hour to dress for dinner."
+
+When we entered the brilliantly illuminated dining saloon that evening a
+bust of Lincoln was on the platform, and the room was decorated with the
+American colors. Some one had remembered Lincoln's birthday, though many
+of the passengers had forgotten the date. A picture of Lincoln with the
+inscription, "In commemoration of President Abraham Lincoln's birthday,"
+was engraved on the covers of the souvenir menus. The dinner was an
+unusually good one, and the seven selections rendered by the orchestra
+during the courses were appropriate for the day.
+
+After dinner a man who had been personally acquainted with the martyred
+President delivered an interesting memorial address. His final words had
+just been said when an announcement was made which caused a thrill of
+expectancy and sent us hurriedly to the deck: "Land is in sight!"
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+FUNCHAL.
+
+
+"That is the island of Madeira," said the captain, pointing to a dark
+mass dimly seen against the horizon. "We are now nearly twenty-eight
+hundred miles southeast of New York."
+
+We had been sailing for seven days with only a vast expanse of ocean in
+view, and so we longed for a sight of land and eagerly looked forward to
+the arrival at our first port. As we approached the island the form of a
+mountain became clear in the star-light; then the twinkling of lights at
+its base revealed the location of a city. When within half a mile of the
+shore, the water in the harbor became too shallow for large vessels, so
+the screw propeller of the Moltke ceased revolving and the ship came to
+anchor.
+
+"May we go ashore to-night?" many asked.
+
+"Certainly, there is no objection," replied the captain.
+
+A number of the passengers, eager to see the attractions of the place,
+and too impatient to wait until morning, were rowed across the dark
+water to the pier. In the city, Funchal, we found that at so late an
+hour the main attractions were gambling places, dance halls, and
+lotteries, the owners of which were greedy for American money. The main
+Casino, in the midst of a beautiful garden, was brilliantly illuminated
+and its halls were filled with well dressed people. Some of the party
+who had placed their silver on the tables of chance showed on their
+return to the steamer handfuls of coins that fortune had brought them;
+others who had made similar experiments were silent as to the results.
+
+[Illustration: SUNLIGHT SHONE ON THE WHITE WALLS OF FUNCHAL.]
+
+"We should have read up the Madeiras before leaving home," said one of
+the tourists at our early breakfast the morning after our arrival, "but
+we were too busy then with other things. While you were ashore last
+night I found in the library an old English book of travel that gave
+some information about the islands."
+
+[Illustration: IT IS NOT RAPID TRANSIT.]
+
+"Share it with us while the stewards are bringing the coffee, won't
+you?"
+
+[Illustration: ONLY THE BOYS STOPPED THEIR PLAY TO GAZE.]
+
+"I made very few notes," she replied. "As we are to be in Funchal but
+one day, I skipped the statistics of population, hotels, exports, and
+history. But here are some facts just as I jotted them down:
+
+"'The Madeira Islands, about six hundred miles west of Gibraltar, were
+settled by the Portuguese and are owned by Portugal.
+
+"'The principal and only town large enough to be called a city is
+Funchal, situated on the southern side of Madeira on the slope of a
+hill.
+
+"'The city has an equable climate. Mild sunshine, gentle ocean breezes,
+and protection from harsh winds by mountains, give to Funchal throughout
+the whole year the temperature of England in the month of May.
+
+"'The island is very mountainous, gashed with many deep gorges which
+extend in from the sea. The streets in the city are paved, but the roads
+in the country are impassable for wagons. Merchandise is carried on pack
+mules or in ox-drags. Horses are rarely seen and carriages are few.
+Quaint vehicles are used in their stead for the conveyance of
+passengers.'
+
+"How odd these vehicles are we shall find out when we land. We shall
+have a busy day. I am eager to start."
+
+It was yet early when we ascended the deck, but the sun was shining
+brightly. Funchal appeared like a beautiful picture. Overhead was the
+azure sky of a summer day; before us, stirred by a gentle breeze,
+glistened in blue and silver the waters of the harbor; on the curving
+shore, tier above tier, reflecting the sunshine, rose the white and
+yellow stone buildings of the city surmounted by roofs of red tiling;
+above the city, white cottages amidst a dense foliage of green shrubbery
+dotted the steep hillsides, and beyond, but seeming very near, higher
+mountains formed a dark and appropriate background.
+
+[Illustration: THE WOMEN WERE WASHING CLOTHES.]
+
+"The steam tenders are ready to carry you to the shore," announced one
+of the officials, interrupting our survey of the picture.
+
+We descended the long ladder of fifty steps from the deck of the steamer
+to the bobbing barge in the water below, and were soon landed on the
+stone steps of the breakwater, which, extending out to a picturesque
+crag, protects and partially encloses the harbor. There, in place of
+cabs, a hundred low sleds with canopy tops and cushioned seats were in
+readiness to convey us on a sight-seeing excursion through the city.
+This ride in ox-drags was a novel experience. Each sled was dragged by
+two bullocks, driven without reins by loud-voiced natives who, with
+frequent yells and prodding sticks, urged on their teams. The drivers
+carried bunches of greasy rags which they occasionally threw underneath
+the sled-runners as a lubricant to diminish the friction of their
+movement over the stone-paved streets.
+
+[Illustration: IN THE SLED READY TO START.]
+
+The sights in the city were strange. The shops on the narrow streets
+were plain and unattractive, and the signs unintelligible. The windows
+of the lower floors of the dwellings were grated with iron bars like a
+prison. Beneath a bridge over a walled ravine that kept a rushing stream
+within bounds in the rainy season, women washed clothes and spread them
+on rocks to dry. In the public square the women carrying water from the
+fountain or chatting on the sidewalks appeared to have little curiosity
+regarding the visitors in their city, and the men, lounging on the steps
+of the fountain, cast but careless glances in our direction; only the
+boys stopped their play to gaze awhile at the passing strangers.
+
+"This plodding team seems fitting in such a peculiar place," remarked
+one of the quartet in our sled. "Although it is not rapid transit, it is
+comfortable. But look, there is a more luxurious mode of traveling." As
+he spoke he pointed to two Portuguese bearing suspended on a pole a
+handsome hammock in which a lady reclined languidly.
+
+At the foot of the mountain we changed from the slowly moving sleds to
+the car of a cog-wheel railway, which carried us up the steep incline.
+The speed of the car was not much greater than that of the ox-team. As
+we ascended, scenes of beauty opened around us. Cottages built on
+terraces were covered with blooming bouguain-villea or climbing roses.
+Patches of cultivated land were filled with sugar cane, banana plants,
+and orange trees. Palms and cacti appeared in many varieties. Flowers
+bloomed on every side. Geraniums, fuschias, and heliotropes were of
+enormous size. Camelias, lilies, and nasturtiums grew in profusion.
+Children from the suburban cottages ran alongside the moving car,
+merrily casting roses, heliotropes, geraniums, and camelias through the
+open windows into our laps, and the tourists, pleased with the floral
+offerings, in return tossed pennies to the running children.
+
+When we alighted from the car, young peddlers, some bright-faced and
+clean, others ugly and dirty, offered flowers and trinkets for sale and
+beggars asked for money. But our pennies were exhausted and we were glad
+that peddlers and paupers were not permitted to follow us into the hotel
+grounds.
+
+[Illustration: ON THE PIER WE BOUGHT FLOWERS.]
+
+"Here you may lunch," said the guide, as we entered a hotel on the
+mountain, "and get pure Madeira wine. The wine which is made in this
+island was at one time its most noted production; but some thirty years
+ago insects and disease so infested the vines that many vineyards were
+destroyed and the quantity of wine now made is not so large as in former
+years."
+
+After having luncheon and tasting the well known wine in its purity on a
+broad piazza overlooking a beautiful tropical garden, we wandered
+through an interesting old church and convent near by, and then strolled
+around a mountain pathway from which, as the guide said, "views most
+grand" might be seen. As we advanced on our way we looked down from the
+height upon many continually changing scenes of picturesque beauty. Now
+there appeared a vista through a wooded ravine of striking grandeur, now
+a view of a rocky gorge penetrating from the ocean, and again a wide
+panorama of city, harbor, and ocean.
+
+[Illustration: THE SLIDE IS TWO MILES IN LENGTH.]
+
+Our return to the city was in a conveyance indeed unique. The descent of
+the mountain in sleds from the summit to the city below, through narrow
+lanes paved with small stones worn and slippery from years of service,
+was an experience long to be remembered. Our sled, without any means of
+propulsion but our own weight, glided rapidly down the hill over the
+smooth surface of the pavement like a toboggan on an icy slide. It was
+controlled by two men, who, sometimes running alongside, sometimes
+clinging to the runners, regulated the speed and guided the sled around
+corners by means of ropes attached to its sides.
+
+"That was a wild and exciting ride," exclaimed one of the ladies who had
+been tightly holding to her seat during the descent. "What is the
+distance from the summit?"
+
+"The slide is about two miles in length, lady," replied one of the
+conductors.
+
+"Don't take our picture now with our hair flying wildly," exclaimed an
+occupant of a sled just arriving, to a friend with a camera.
+
+"Your request comes too late," he answered. "I have pressed the button."
+
+"I hope it will not be a good one," she wished, but it was.
+
+When we returned to the Moltke many row-boats were clustered around the
+vessel. Some of these had brought visitors who desired to inspect the
+ship. Some contained Portuguese merchants, who, with cargoes of
+embroidery, wicker chairs, straw goods, fruits, photographs, and curios,
+had been patiently awaiting our return. When they were permitted to come
+on board they displayed their wares upon the deck and made many sales.
+Other small craft contained half-naked boys who shouted to us to test
+their skill as divers by throwing pennies into the clear but deep
+emerald water, claiming that they could secure the money before it
+reached the bottom of the bay. We complied with the boys' request and
+exhausted the ship's supply of pennies in putting their dexterity to the
+proof. When the money was thrown into the sea the young experts, diving
+like beavers and successful in securing the money, rose to the surface
+and clambered into the boats holding the coins in their mouths. One
+youth more daring than the others mounted to the upper deck of our
+steamer and offered, if a shilling instead of a penny was thrown into
+the water, to plunge from his high perch to the sea fifty feet below and
+get the silver. And he won much applause by successfully accomplishing
+the feat.
+
+[Illustration: THE TUG CARRIED US TO THE MOLTKE.]
+
+Toward evening the whistle of the steamer sounded warning notes. The
+time for sailing was at hand. The tourists who had been loitering on the
+shore hastened to return. The peddlers on the deck reluctantly packed
+their unsold wares and with their bundles descended the ship's ladder.
+The visitors, after courteously bidding adieu to the officials who had
+been entertaining them, took their departure. But the trained swimmers
+whose antics in the water were giving so much amusement tarried until
+ordered away. Then while our band played a farewell air, Sousa's "Hands
+Across the Sea," the Moltke slowly steamed out of the harbor.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+GIBRALTAR.
+
+
+"Is not this a German vessel?" asked a passenger of the first officer,
+as they stood conversing near the gymnasium on the upper deck the
+morning after we left Funchal.
+
+"Most surely it is," he replied, astonished at the question.
+
+"Then," pointing to the red ensign floating at the top of the foremast,
+"why does the Moltke fly the British colors?"
+
+"The British flag at our foremast indicates that this ship is bound for
+a port that belongs to Great Britain," explained the mate. "When we sail
+from Gibraltar the Union Jack will be replaced by the French tri-color
+to show that we are then on the way to a French port. The emblem on the
+fore-mast will be changed many times before we return to New York. But
+there," turning and pointing to the rear, "in its place at the stern is
+the German standard, the flag of our fatherland. There it will remain
+throughout the cruise. Above us, too, on the mast nearest the stern, the
+white pennant bearing the letters H. A. P. A. G., the insignia of the
+company that owns the Moltke, will constantly fly."
+
+The evening we sailed from Funchal each lady found beside her plate at
+the dinner table a bunch of violets, a memento from the flower gardens
+of Madeira; and on St. Valentine's Day each found there a package
+containing a pretty fan with the compliments of the Captain. At this
+dinner on the fourteenth of February much merriment prevailed during the
+dessert course, when favors containing caps and bonnets were
+distributed. Formality was dropped for the time. Each diner donned his
+headgear and the comical appearance of the wearers drew forth many
+pleasantries and much laughter.
+
+[Illustration: THE ILLUSTRATIONS REPRESENT A SOMBER MOUNTAIN.]
+
+The Captain, with a huge paper sun-bonnet on his head, rose to make a
+few remarks.
+
+"Silence! listen to what our old mother has to say!" cried a humorist.
+
+Amid laughter the captain began, but the laughter quickly ceased and his
+words were listened to with attention.
+
+"Fellow voyagers," said he in conclusion, "you will find on the bulletin
+board to-night some information and advice relative to your trip to
+Granada. For the past ten days you have been under my charge and I have
+looked after your welfare, but to-morrow you leave the vessel for two
+days. I wish you a pleasant excursion and a safe return to shelter under
+the care of your 'Old Mother.'"
+
+After the applause had subsided and a response had been made by one of
+the passengers, the orchestra played as a finale Liebe's "Auf
+Wiedersehen."
+
+Then we, after securing pencil and paper, hastened to join the crowd
+around the bulletin board to make notes of the directions for the trip
+into Spain. The notice read as follows:
+
+      "The Moltke will arrive at Gibraltar to-morrow, February
+      fifteenth, before daylight. Breakfast will be served at an early
+      hour and tenders will be alongside the steamer at seven o'clock to
+      take the tourists to the dock. There guides will be in waiting and
+      three hours will be spent in Gibraltar.
+
+      "At ten o'clock the tourists will be conveyed in the steam ferry
+      across the bay to the railroad station at Algeciras, from which
+      place the train will start for Granada. During the ferry passage a
+      box containing luncheon to be eaten on the train will be given to
+      each person.
+
+      "Dress warmly or take heavy wraps, as it is sometimes cold at
+      Granada at this season of the year.
+
+      "Call at the office at the news-stand on main deck for railroad
+      tickets and hotel assignments.
+
+      "The excursion party returning will leave Granada at four o'clock
+      Monday afternoon and arrive at the steamer about midnight. The
+      Moltke will then sail for Algiers."
+
+"Let us go to the office at once. The giving out of tickets may require
+considerable time," said my room-mate.
+
+Others were of the same opinion, it seemed, for many were ahead of us,
+but there was no delay, each applicant receiving promptly with his
+railroad ticket a card bearing the name of the hotel in Granada to which
+he was assigned. The managers of the tour, having arranged in advance
+for the required number of rooms at the principal hotels, were prepared
+to make the allotment before leaving the vessel, so avoiding confusion
+and delay on our arrival at our destination, and securing for us prompt
+attention at the hotels.
+
+Some of our friends who had already received their envelopes rejoiced to
+see on their cards "Hotel Washington Irving," a hotel which they knew
+from description to be beautifully situated on the heights near the
+Alhambra.
+
+"Hotel Victoria," I read on mine. I was disappointed at first, but on
+the following day I found that the central location of the "Victoria"
+gave opportunities to see much of the life of the city that might have
+been missed had the assignment been to the hotel in the suburbs.
+
+When we awoke the next morning the Moltke was lying quietly at anchor.
+We hastily dressed and ascended to the deck.
+
+Any one who has seen pictures of the huge rock that guards the entrance
+to the Mediterranean will recognize Gibraltar at sight if he approaches
+the rock from the right point of view. The illustrations, however,
+represent a somber mountain. The picture we saw showed white houses, red
+roofs, green trees, patches of lawn, groups of shrubbery, and plots of
+flowers, all contrasting with gray rocks; these with blue sky overhead,
+and white sails in the foreground gave life and color to the scene.
+
+As we gazed for some time from the vessel's deck at the strong fortress
+which has been held securely in the grasp of Great Britain for two
+hundred years, we thought of the many unsuccessful attempts that have
+been made during those two centuries to wrest it from British control;
+most noted of all, the long siege by the French and Spanish forces that
+continued for four years when Napoleon was supreme in France. What might
+have been the result, if England's grasp on the rock had been broken by
+Napoleon; or what the outcome, if Napoleon's fleet had been victorious
+in the conflict on the near-by Trafalgar Bay!
+
+[Illustration: THE ROCK HAD A PEACEFUL LOOK.]
+
+The rock had a peaceful look, but we knew that the cactus plants, which
+grew rank on the slope of the mountain, concealed powerful batteries,
+and that on the summit of the rock were mounted cannons of the largest
+calibre, which, if required, could hurl projectiles to the far side of
+the strait, a distance of twelve miles.
+
+On one of the highest points of the rock stands the Signal Tower. To
+this tower the officers of the Moltke had signaled the news of our
+arrival when the steamer entered the harbor, and before we had stirred
+from our berths, that information had been flashed over the cable to
+London and New York. On the following morning our friends at home read
+in the shipping news of their daily paper, the following item:
+
+"Arrived out; Feb. 15, Gibraltar, Moltke, from New York."
+
+As we started ashore on the lighters at the early hour appointed, we
+realized that we should have to take in a great deal in a very little
+while. We entered the city of Gibraltar by a tunnel-like entrance
+through walls of great thickness. The gateway was closely guarded by
+sentinels, who demanded the passes with which we had been furnished and
+who told us that these would be good only until sunset, for at the
+firing of the evening gun each day the gates are closed and the passes
+then are useless.
+
+[Illustration: WE DESCENDED A LONG LADDER OF FIFTY STEPS.]
+
+The markets near the gates, where many kinds of fruits, vegetables, and
+fish, unlike those seen in our home markets, were offered for sale,
+first attracted our attention. Here customers carrying oddly shaped
+baskets were bargaining with Moorish fishermen, Jewish peddlers, and
+Spanish marketmen. Each dealer, with gesticulations and loud voice,
+appeared to be asserting the superiority of his own wares. There was a
+confusion of tongues. Only the pigs tied to stakes squealed, and the
+chickens in wicker crates crowed, in strains familiar to our ears. The
+streets through which we proceeded were clean but narrow. The sidewalks
+were only wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The buildings
+were constructed of gray limestone similar to that of which the great
+Rock is composed.
+
+The presence of an army in this stronghold was indicated by the large
+number of soldiers we met. An officer whom we questioned kindly told us
+that the garrison consisted of about six thousand men, and that
+provisions sufficient to feed that number for five years in case of
+siege were at all times kept in storage. He advised us to visit the
+"Lower Galleries" of the fortifications on the heights and obtain the
+view from that point, and then to attend the afternoon band concert in
+the park. But our limited stay did not permit us to follow his
+suggestions.
+
+"In some respects," said the Major, "Gibraltar is rather a dull post for
+the officers stationed here; but we have a large library, billiard and
+club rooms, courts for tennis, and ground for polo. We have also many
+dances and riding parties, and occasionally attend the Spanish bull
+fights which take place in the large bull ring across the bay at
+Algeciras."
+
+[Illustration: WALLS OF GREAT THICKNESS AND A TUNNEL-LIKE ENTRANCE.]
+
+The great variety of uniforms worn by the soldiers of England was
+particularly noticeable. We saw squads in khaki uniforms carrying
+quarters of beef toward the barrack buildings on the hill; a detachment
+in Scotch kilts marching to relieve the guards on sentinel duty at the
+neutral ground; many smart looking corporals and sergeants in short red
+jackets and little red caps placed jauntily on the sides of their heads,
+carrying short canes; an elderly looking officer in spotless white
+flannel, to whom the military salute was given by all soldiers who
+passed him; numbers of officers in red coats and white duck trousers;
+and a group of troopers in undress uniform of coarse white or grey, who
+had been grooming the horses in the stables.
+
+[Illustration: THERE IS A LITTLE MILK-MAID SERVING MILK.]
+
+Other things of interest that the camera of our eyes snapped as we
+hurried along, were yellow-slippered, bare-legged, swarthy Arabs gliding
+quietly by; a neat grey-gowned nurse taking two pretty English children
+to early service; Spaniards in long black cloaks and felt hats drawn
+down, who looked exactly like the conspirators we see in a play; many
+sailors in the garb of various nations, who appeared to be enjoying a
+holiday ashore; Hebrew residents in peculiar looking coarse costumes;
+well dressed English people with prayer books on their way to church;
+Moors from Tangiers in snow-white turbans, and black-haired Spanish
+senoritas with large pompadours, high combs, and mantillas draped
+gracefully over their heads. These, with many others, met our sight;
+but, among all the crowd we encountered, we were not approached by a
+beggar, the soliciting of alms being forbidden by the military
+authorities.
+
+We paused to glance at the little Trafalgar cemetery, but did not enter.
+
+"Here," said the English guide, "sleep many of the British heroes who
+with our gallant Nelson gave their lives to gain the famous naval
+victory of the Bay of Trafalgar, in which the French and Spanish fleets
+were destroyed. Bonaparte boasted that the combined navies of the two
+countries would crush our British fleet, and then his army would cross
+the channel and camp in London; but our brave Admiral upset Napoleon's
+plans."
+
+Beyond the cemetery we crossed the Alameda or Park Gardens, the pleasure
+ground of the people, where the military band plays in the afternoon and
+evening. There we saw a luxuriant growth of subtropical vegetation,
+orange trees with leaves of dark, glossy green, date palms with bunches
+of unripe dates, palms with broad leaves, spreading pepper trees, and
+great ash trees whose roots protruded above the ground for unwary
+tourists to stumble over. The geraniums and heliotropes were of gigantic
+size, and many other flowering plants were unusually large.
+
+[Illustration: EACH COMPARTMENT SEATS EIGHT.]
+
+Our guide persuaded us to enter a museum, as he called it; but this
+proved to be a regular old curiosity shop containing a large assortment
+of oddities and souvenirs with which the owner was willing to part for a
+sufficient compensation.
+
+"There is a little milkmaid serving milk. I'll take a snap-shot of her
+while she is at work," said one of our party with a camera as we drew
+near a young girl who was drawing milk directly from a brown-haired goat
+into a customer's pitcher.
+
+While returning to the wharf we met several herds of the brown-haired
+goats driven by milkmen through the streets; and, assembled near the
+dock around a group of English Salvation Army lads and lasses who were
+singing familiar hymns accompanied by cornet and drum, we saw a motley
+crowd of men, many of whom from their diverse and peculiar costumes were
+evidently sailors from various ports of the world. Then, having
+completed our hurried tramp through the city in the time allotted for
+that purpose, we descended the steps at the pier to the ferry-boat that
+was to carry us a few miles across the bay to the town of Algeciras.
+
+After thirty minutes on the ferry we stepped ashore on Spanish soil. The
+first special train had departed and the second was being made up.
+During the short interval of waiting, the kodak carriers were busily
+engaged securing their first Spanish views.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+GRANADA AND THE ALHAMBRA.
+
+
+The small cars on the railroad which carried us from Algeciras to
+Granada were divided into compartments with doors opening from the
+sides. Each compartment comfortably seated eight persons, four facing
+the front and four the rear. This arrangement of seating allows general
+conversation among the group, and, if the occupants are congenial,
+promotes sociability.
+
+A traveler speeding through the United States in a "Chicago Limited," at
+the rate of sixty miles an hour, can merely catch glimpses of objects on
+the way and receive only blurred and indistinct impressions of the
+scenery; but when traveling in the "Spanish Express," at the more
+moderate speed of twenty-five miles an hour, he can enjoy clear and
+vivid pictures of the unfolding panorama. Let me try to describe some of
+these pictures just as they appeared to us during the trip.
+
+Looking back after leaving Algeciras, we saw the huge rock of Gibraltar,
+almost an island, connected with the main land by a narrow, flat, sandy
+isthmus. Across the "neutral ground," as the strip between the English
+and Spanish possessions is called, a line of sentry boxes extended, and
+red-coated British sentinels paced back and forth. Parallel to the
+British line there was another line of sentry boxes, where the
+soldiers of Alfonzo were on guard to prevent the smuggling of tobacco
+and other forbidden wares into Spain.
+
+[Illustration: TWELVE WEATHER BEATEN MARBLE LIONS UPHOLD AN ALABASTER
+BASIN.]
+
+"See those miserable little white plastered huts with roofs made of
+straw," said one of our party. "I did not know that the people were so
+poor."
+
+This picture of poverty was our first impression of Spain. For some
+distance the train had been running through a region apparently
+unfertile, where fences of sharp spined cacti enclosed small fields. The
+people were shabbily dressed, the houses straw-thatched and dilapidated,
+and the little patches of land poorly cultivated. It seemed that Sunday
+was a common wash-day; for at almost every cottage the family wash was
+hanging in the sun on trees, shrubs, or cacti.
+
+Within an hour, however, we were passing through a section of the
+country entirely different in aspect, where the cork industry gives
+employment to many people. For a distance of eight or ten miles groves
+of cork-oak trees were in sight. At the station were bulky piles of cork
+bark, cars stacked with cork were on the sidings, and great carts drawn
+by oxen were on the roads bringing in still more of this valuable
+commodity.
+
+"Millions of bottles are made in our city," said a New Jersey girl, "and
+there is enough cork here in sight to stopper them all."
+
+Beyond this, the land was more fertile and under better cultivation.
+Well built stone houses replaced the huts; glossy-leaved orange trees
+and pink-blossomed almond trees dotted the fields or filled the
+orchards. Instead of fences, the boundaries of fields and farms were
+marked at the corners by white stones projecting above the ground.
+Farther along, yellow-green olive plantations, magnificent in size and
+beautiful in color, filling the valleys and hillsides as far as the eye
+could see with orderly, far-reaching lines of trees, made so impressive
+a sight that it drew forth many expressions of admiration.
+
+[Illustration: SPANISH CHILDREN CAME TO THE STATION.]
+
+Women, as gatekeepers, waved white flags to signal that the crossings
+were clear. Gangs of men, often thirty in a gang, were in the fields
+cultivating leeks or onions with crude, heavy-looking, short-handled
+hoes. Teams of long-horned oxen attached to old-fashioned plows, at
+times eight or ten teams in one field, were turning up the soil.
+Occasionally ox-teams drawing heavily laden carts or wagons were seen
+along the smooth white roads; but more frequently appeared trains of
+slowly moving donkeys, five or six in a line, with gay trappings and
+bells and panniers piled high with produce, driven by red-sashed
+muleteers.
+
+At stations where the train stopped five or ten minutes, the doors at
+the sides of the compartments were opened and the passengers descended
+and walked up and down the platform. Spanish women, carrying jugs, cried
+"Lacte," "Limonada," "Narrandjada," and "Acqua," and other peddlers with
+baskets offered "bollos," "tortitas," and "narranges." After some
+difficulties in obtaining information as to "how much," the shillings
+and pence, pesetas and centimes of the tourists were exchanged for the
+milk, lemonade, orangeade, and water, the cakes, rolls, and oranges of
+the dealers.
+
+One of the ladies, after making a purchase, said, "I asked that woman
+with the black-eyed baby the price of a half dozen oranges. She said,
+'Fifty centimes.' Then I offered her an English six-pence, and she gave
+me six oranges and a penny in change."
+
+Spanish boys scrambled for a roll or boiled eggs thrown to them, and
+men, women, and children extended their hands for money or remnants of
+our luncheon. One boy who had secured an apple and an egg in a scramble
+laughed with happiness over his success. These people did not appear to
+be destitute; for children, as well as adults, were comfortably clothed,
+and wore neat looking shoes and stockings. As the day, however, was
+Sunday, probably they were in holiday attire.
+
+The red-capped station masters were important personages. At the
+principal stations they directed the starting of the trains with the
+greatest care and deliberation. In our own country the conductor's hand
+touches the signal-cord and the train moves. At Ronda, a bell in the
+station rang, then a red-capped employee trotted along the length of the
+train ringing a hand dinner bell. A minute later he repeated his trip
+with warning bell, then the whistle tooted, but it was not until the
+red-cap was sure that every passenger was aboard that the whistle issued
+a second toot and the wheels began to revolve. These extraordinary
+precautions, although affording amusement for the tourists, may have
+been taken under special orders of the railroad officials in order to
+avoid accidents and insure our safety. At any rate, we know that the
+railroad officials and their Spanish employees did give us special
+attention and treat us with kindness and courtesy.
+
+[Illustration: "MAY WE KODAK YOU?" "THEY ALL DO," HE REPLIED.]
+
+Through many deep cuts and tunnels, over romantic gorges of dark depth,
+and along cliffs whose heights we could not see, the train climbed and
+crossed a mountain range. As the car emerged from tunnel or cut,
+changing scenes of wild and savage landscape appeared near by, and
+charming glimpses of distant valleys far below. The torrents and
+waterfalls of the river Gaudiara added to the weird beauty of the scene.
+A stanza in Southey's poem, "The Cataract of Lodore," fittingly
+describes the wildness of the river that we crossed and re-crossed so
+often:
+
+                "Here it comes sparkling
+              And there it lies darkling:
+              Now smoking and frothing
+                The cataract strong
+                Then plunges along,
+    And dashing and flashing and splashing and clashing:
+    And so never ending but ever descending,
+    Sound and motions forever are blending."
+
+A famous canyon, deep and narrow, with rushing, foaming stream, seemed
+like a crevice sliced down by a gigantic blade. Towns and villages far
+away amid green fields and gray olive orchards, and buildings of white
+and cream, luminous in the sunlight, with backgrounds of dark and rugged
+mountains, produced a succession of picturesque views. Among the hills
+were seen young Davids, staff in hand, guarding flocks of grazing sheep,
+ancient swineherds lazily watching droves of swine feeding on the roots,
+and goatherds following their nimble-footed brown herds as they picked
+their way among the rocks.
+
+As we approached our destination, the valleys showed signs of great
+prosperity. The fields were highly cultivated; the farms were irrigated
+by ditches of flowing water; the orchards were well trimmed; the
+buildings larger; and the red-sashed laborers more sprucely attired.
+
+[Illustration: MARVELOUSLY BEAUTIFUL IN MOORISH SPLENDOR.]
+
+At Pinos we saw the stone bridge where, in 1492, Columbus, on his way to
+France, disheartened by his failure to interest King Ferdinand in his
+plans, was over-taken by Queen Isabella's messenger and summoned back to
+court to receive his commission.
+
+As twilight was settling down we arrived on schedule time at the white
+stone station in Granada where carriages stood in waiting to convey us
+to the hotels. The Spanish drivers strove to surpass each other in
+speed. Our coachman lashed his horses till they ran like a run-away
+team. Regardless of anyone in the streets, grazing wagons by the way,
+overtaking and passing carriages ahead, he gave us the wildest ride we
+had ever taken. This chariot race to the hotel, a distance of over a
+mile, happily ended without accident or collision.
+
+"Well, I'm thankful that ride is over without an upset," exclaimed with
+a sigh of relief a nervous lady, who had tried ineffectually to restrain
+the driver's zeal by the use of English words which he did not
+understand.
+
+The old Cathedral, covering ground equal to a block in length and half a
+block in width, always attracts many visitors. Massive pillars support
+the roof and marble tiles cover the floor. The light, falling softly
+through stained glass windows, discloses valuable paintings on the
+walls, fine statuary in the aisles, and decorations of white and gold.
+
+"Is this building very old?" some one inquired.
+
+"Old!" replied the guide with scorn in his voice, "this Cathedral was
+here when Columbus discovered your country." The guide, however,
+exaggerated somewhat. It was built just about the time America was
+discovered.
+
+[Illustration: HERE WASHINGTON IRVING LIVED FOR A TIME.]
+
+In the Royal Chapel of the Cathedral, upon an alabaster mausoleum
+decorated with fine carving, lie the effigies of Ferdinand and Isabella.
+The soft, creamy alabaster gives them the appearance of sleeping. An
+inscription on the tomb reads as follows:
+
+     This chapel was founded by most Catholic Don Fernando and Dona
+     Isable, King and Queen of Spain, of Naples, of Sicily, of
+     Jerusalem, who conquered this kingdom and brought it back to our
+     Faith; who acquired the Canary Isles and the Indies; who crushed
+     heresy, and expelled the Moors and Jews from these realms.
+
+              Queen Dona Isable died Nov. 26, 1504.
+              King Don Fernando died Jan. 23, 1516.
+
+
+On the altar of the chapel is a very interesting bas-relief representing
+the surrender of the city of Granada. In the sacristy we were shown the
+carefully guarded holy relics; the richly embroidered vestments used on
+ceremonial occasions, the sword of Ferdinand; the sceptre, crown, and
+mirror of Isabella; and the casket which contained the jewels that the
+Queen offered in pledge to secure funds for Columbus.
+
+"Most precious of all the relics," said the sacristan, "is the
+handkerchief with which the blessed Santa Veronica wiped the sweat from
+the Savior's brow on the road to Calvary. This bears the impression of
+the Savior's face."
+
+The greatest point of interest in Granada, perhaps in all Spain, is, of
+course, the Alhambra. This is the name given to a collection of
+buildings located on an elevation that overlooks the city. These palaces
+on the heights were for many centuries the dwelling places of the
+Moorish kings, surrounded by their nobles, retainers, and guardsmen.
+They were also the repositories in which were stored the immense
+treasure accumulated from the forays of the Moors upon the Christians of
+northern Spain, and from the sacking of Christian cities. The palaces of
+the rulers and the treasure within were protected by great citadels and
+by stout walls which encircled the heights.
+
+[Illustration: DECORATED WITH ARABESQUES AND STORIED WITH
+INSCRIPTIONS.]
+
+In the latter part of the fifteenth century, after a long struggle, the
+Moorish power was overthrown by King Ferdinand, and since then Granada
+has been a Spanish city. Columbus was present at the court of the
+Spanish sovereign when the capitulation of Granada occurred in April,
+1492, and within two weeks after the surrender of the city received his
+commission to sail in search of a new world.
+
+Washington Irving's description of the entrance of the conquering
+Spaniards into the Alhambra after the capture of the city, might, with
+the change of a word or two, still portray the visit of a party of
+modern tourists.
+
+[Illustration: THE GENERALIFE OVERLOOKS THE ALHAMBRA.]
+
+"The halls lately occupied by turbaned infidels," he writes, "now
+rustled with stately dames and Christian courtiers, who wandered with
+eager curiosity over this far-famed palace, admiring its verdant courts
+and gushing fountains, its halls decorated with elegant arabesques, and
+storied with inscriptions, and the splendor of its gilded and
+brilliantly painted ceilings."
+
+[Illustration: PROTECTED BY CITADELS AND WALLS.]
+
+Although the coloring is faded, and in many places the intricate
+ornamentation is crumbling or broken, sufficient remains to show how
+marvelously beautiful it must have been in Moorish splendor. And
+beautiful it still is, notwithstanding the ravages of time.
+
+While in the Court of Myrtles, some of the party examined the light,
+graceful arches and the stucco tapestry interwoven with flowers and
+leaves that adorn the galleries; others were more interested in the gold
+fish swimming in the transparent water of the long sunken tank in the
+center of the tiled court. In the richly ornamented Hall of the
+Ambassadors, the state reception room of the king, we waited while the
+guide, in answer to a request, interpreted some of the delicately carved
+inscriptions that fill every available space on the wall.
+
+"One of these mottoes," said the guide, "that is repeated over and over
+again on almost every wall of the palace, reads: 'There is no conqueror
+but Allah.' Other mottoes which are very common are: 'There is no God
+but Allah;' 'Mohammed is the envoy of Allah;' 'Allah is great;' 'Allah
+never forgets;' and various quotations from the Koran."
+
+Twelve weatherbeaten marble lions in the center of the Court of Lions
+uphold a large alabaster basin in which were caught, in times gone by,
+the falling waters of the fountain above it. Many graceful pillars
+support the surrounding arcades of this court and the exquisite
+fret-work looks as if carved in ivory.
+
+A practical man in the party called attention to the beautiful wooden
+doors through which we entered the Hall of the Abencerrages, and to the
+peculiar manner in which they were hung on pivots instead of hinges. On
+the rim of the marble basin in the center of this hall some red stains
+were seen.
+
+"Here," said our guide, "is where the heads of the Abencerrages were cut
+off.
+
+"But why was Aben's head cut off?" inquired a lady.
+
+This gave the guide the opportunity he desired.
+
+"A prominent member of the tribe or family of the Abencerrages, named
+Hamet," he replied, "fell in love with the Sultana, and she in return
+loved the handsome and gallant warrior. Secret meetings took place under
+a cypress tree in the garden of the Generalife until the Sultan,
+Boabdil, accidentally discovered their meetings. The enraged Boabdil,
+without revealing his knowledge of their actions, invited the guilty
+Hamet and every member of his tribe to attend a banquet. As each guest
+arrived at the palace he was brought into this hall. Here the guards
+seized him, forced his head over the edge of this basin, and the sharp
+simitar of the executioner showed no mercy. This was the king's revenge,
+and so the stains on the fountain."
+
+The Room of Two Sisters brought forth exclamations of praise. Walls
+covered with dainty traceries in plaster, like embroideries on a ground
+of lace work; dados brilliant in fantastic designs of red, green, and
+blue; ceilings dropping thousands of stalactites each differing from the
+others in beauty of form; and charming views from the boudoir windows of
+floral beds and fountains in the garden beyond,--all these combined to
+make this place a suitable residence for a Queen.
+
+In the Baths we saw where royalty had bathed in marble basins to the
+sound of music by players in the gallery overhead.
+
+"Here are the rooms which Washington Irving occupied in the Alhambra
+during his stay in Granada," explained the guide.
+
+[Illustration: THE SUMMER RESIDENCE OF THE MOORISH KINGS.]
+
+Some of us tried to recall Irving's graphic descriptions in the
+"Conquest of Granada" of the scenes around this city; of the struggles
+between the Christian knights under the banner of Ferdinand, and the
+Moorish cavaliers under the standard of Mahomet; of fields covered with
+silken canopies; of cavalcades of warriors in jeweled armor and nodding
+plumes; of hand-to-hand conflicts and daring exploits; of the siege
+and capture of the city and expulsion of the Moors from Spain. As we
+thought of the unfortunate Boabdil, the noble queen mother Ayxa, and the
+beautiful Zoraya, driven into exile, giving up their beloved palace, the
+home of their ancestors with all its wealth and beauty, to their hated
+enemies, and leaving the land which had been in possession of the Moors
+for eight centuries, we to some extent realized the sorrow that filled
+the hearts of the departing exiles as they looked back for the last time
+on the heights of Granada and wept.
+
+[Illustration: CHARMING VIEWS FROM BOUDOIR WINDOWS.]
+
+Although the buildings of the Alhambra are partly in ruins, the view
+from the Old Watch Tower has not changed materially. Standing on the
+tiled roof to which we climbed by many well worn stone steps, we saw a
+magnificent panorama spread out before us. The city lay almost at our
+feet; beautiful valleys extended for many miles dotted with white
+villages; gray olive orchards appeared here and there; verdant hills
+rose in the distance; and, forty miles away, the snow-covered peaks of
+the Sierra Nevada pierced the sky.
+
+After leaving the tower, we drove to the Palace of the Generalife, which
+is situated on the mountain side considerably higher than the Alhambra.
+We approached this beautifully located residence, where Moorish kings
+came to spend the summer months, by a wide path bordered with tall
+cypress trees. In the Court of the Cypresses our Spanish guide pointed
+to a venerable tree and said: "That cypress is six hundred years old;
+under it the guilty lovers, the Queen and Hamet, had their meetings
+until discovered by King Boabdil."
+
+In the gardens of the Generalife, we rambled amid oddly trimmed trees,
+climbing roses, immense rose bushes, fountains, and grottoes, and wished
+that our stay might be prolonged. The terraces of the garden have
+flights of marble steps leading from one level to another. One of the
+flights we descended had runlets of water flowing down on the top of the
+marble balustrades. Water, clear and sparkling, which is brought from a
+mountain stream above, is abundant everywhere in fountains and pools,
+and in streamlets along the pathways.
+
+Among the sights of the city the milk delivery was interesting to
+strangers. A number of long-haired brown goats having been driven to the
+door of a house, a pitcher was brought and the milk drawn fresh from one
+of the goats; or a cow was led along the street and the milk furnished
+directly from the cow in any quantity desired by the customer.
+
+Small donkeys with panniers were used instead of wagons for the transfer
+of almost every kind of material in the city and country. Often the
+burdens were so large that the donkey was almost lost from sight. We saw
+these patient little animals driven through the streets variously laden
+with sacks of charcoal, bundles of wood, baskets of vegetables, crates
+of oranges, bags of coal, cans of water, kegs of wine, or bearing
+hampers filled with building stone, bright tinware, or new-mown grass.
+Even the street cleaners shoveled into the panniers on the donkeys'
+backs the dirt and refuse that had been collected on the streets.
+Occasionally we saw men or women or children perched on the top of a
+load. Two men were sometimes seen riding on one donkey, and once we
+observed three large men on one small donkey.
+
+[Illustration: INTO THE PANNIERS ON THE DONKEY'S BACK.]
+
+As we drove along the streets to the station the residents at doors,
+windows, and sidewalks smilingly commented among themselves on our
+outlandish foreign costumes, evidently comparing our American styles
+with their own familiar dress. It was certainly as interesting to the
+Spanish women to observe the peculiarities of our costumes as it was for
+us to notice the mantillas and gay bodices which gave them a picturesque
+appearance in our eyes. We were being inspected as well as they; but the
+Spaniards are so polite that there was nothing unpleasant in their
+curiosity.
+
+It was after midnight when the steam launches carried us across the bay
+from Algeciras to our steamship. The reception given us at the Moltke,
+after our two days' absence, made us feel that we had indeed arrived
+home. Colored fires reddened the waters, clusters of electric lights
+illumined the sides of the vessel, the band was playing on deck, and the
+captain welcomed us at the head of the gangway. Then while the orchestra
+played selections, a full course midnight dinner was served to the
+hungry pilgrims.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+THE CITY OF ALGIERS.
+
+
+On the morning of Tuesday, February seventeenth, the Moltke was speeding
+over a calm sea toward the coast of Africa. The tourists, after the
+strenuous sight-seeing of the past two days, luxuriously rested. Some
+lazily lounged in steamer chairs with pillows under their heads and gay
+blankets over them; others exchanged experiences with friends while
+sauntering slowly around the deck. Some in groups surrounded the card
+tables, playing or watching the games; while others read books from the
+shelves of the library, or gathered the latest home news from the
+columns of the London Times, or the Paris edition of the New York
+Herald, copies of which had been taken on board at Gibraltar.
+
+During the afternoon, however, a north-east wind suddenly arose which
+stirred the blue waters of the Mediterranean until the short choppy
+waves gave to the vessel a new and peculiar roll, differing from any
+previously experienced by those on board. As a result, many of the
+passengers, not being able to adjust themselves to this unfamiliar
+change of motion, became suddenly pale, and prudently retired to the
+privacy of their staterooms. But by the time the evening dinner was
+served the wind had somewhat subsided, and the majority of the
+passengers gathered in the saloon for an entertainment in the form of a
+roll-call of states. This was presided over in a jolly manner by a
+prominent lawyer from Philadelphia. As he called the name of a state,
+some native of that state responded in a short informal address in which
+he praised his section of the country so highly that he made it appear
+to be a perfect El Dorado. There was but time to hear from seventeen
+states although representatives from almost every state in the Union and
+from Canada were present.
+
+When the sun rose on Wednesday morning our steamer was anchored within
+the breakwater a short distance from the docks in the harbor of Algiers.
+A pleasant sight greeted our eyes when we came on deck. We saw a little
+white boat gliding over the waves flying the American flag, then two
+white steam launches speeding through the harbor with the same emblem
+floating in the breeze, while, over to the left, we descried at anchor
+three white gun boats, and hanging at their sterns our country's flag.
+
+[Illustration: LIKE GHOSTS WALKING THROUGH THE STREETS.]
+
+"Three cheers for the Stars and Stripes," cried an enthusiast, and the
+hurrahs were given earnestly and vigorously.
+
+On the bulletin board we found the following notice posted:
+
+     PROGRAM FOR ALGIERS.
+
+     The Managers will furnish landing tickets to the tourists but all
+     expenses while on shore in Algiers will be borne by each
+     individual.
+
+     Carriages will be waiting on the docks for those who desire to
+     ride, at their own expense, and a guide will be assigned to go with
+     every four carriages.
+
+     Meals may be obtained by returning to the ship, and passengers are
+     expected to return to the vessel at night.
+
+"How shall we spend the day without a definite plan laid out for us?"
+said one of a group at the bulletin board.
+
+"Let us take carriages with a guide as interpreter," suggested another,
+"and drive around the city during the morning, then buy our luncheon at
+a French restaurant, and spend the afternoon tramping around and
+visiting the shops."
+
+"That will suit me, especially the shopping part; I want to buy some
+souvenirs," replied a third.
+
+"And return hungry to the vessel in time for a good dinner in the
+evening," added a fourth.
+
+Descending the ship's ladder, we placed ourselves in the care of the
+bronzed Arab boatmen, whose little boats had for some time been circling
+around the steamer, and were rowed to the custom house pier. Not having
+luggage to be examined, we fearlessly passed the red-trousered custom
+officials in the building and crossed the busy docks to the carriages in
+waiting.
+
+[Illustration: THE LITTLE MOSQUE IN GOUVERNMENT SQUARE.]
+
+At the docks many vessels were lying, and the wharves were filled with
+outgoing and incoming freight. Beyond the docks along the front of the
+city is a broad avenue, the Boulevard de la Republic, elevated forty or
+fifty feet above the wharves. This boulevard is supported on the sea
+side by solid white stone arcaded walls, and is reached by inclined
+roadways or by handsome stone stairways. On the land side it is lined
+with substantial white stone buildings of uniform height with an arcade
+in front.
+
+The population of the city of Algiers, about 100,000, is composed
+principally of Moors, Arabs, Negroes, and other African nationalities,
+but with a large number of French, and many Hebrews, some Spanish,
+English, and other Continental representatives, and a few Americans. On
+its streets we saw faces of different colors ranging from pure white,
+through all the tints of brown, to the deepest black.
+
+In the Place de Gouvernment, one of the centers of business and
+religious life of the city, we met turbaned Arabs, barefoot negroes,
+red-trousered soldiers, French civilians, American tourists, Hebrew
+traders, Kabyle mountaineers. In this motley crowd the native men and
+women especially attracted our attention. The Algerine men wore long
+white gowns fastened at the waist with a girdle; white cloaks, called
+bournous, around their shoulders; and white turbans of many folds on
+their heads. The richer classes were arrayed in spotless garments of
+fine material, stockings, and ornamented sandals; the laborers wore
+coarse gowns, and sandals made of rope; while the unclean bodies of
+importunate beggars and unfortunate cripples were but partially covered
+with filthy sacking and rags which hung upon them.
+
+The Mohammedan women, wearing long bloomers made exceedingly full, and
+white mantles resembling sheets draped over their heads and falling
+loosely around their bodies, looked like ghosts as they walked through
+the streets. The white bandages or veils wrapped around their heads
+concealed all the features except the eyes, which appeared black and
+piercing. The Arab men may be able to distinguish the age of these
+veiled females, but it was difficult for us to tell which were old
+women, and which young, except by the elasticity of their movements.
+
+[Illustration: THE ALGERINE MEN WEAR LONG WHITE GOWNS.]
+
+Near the Place de Gouvernment is the imposing palace of the Governor
+where all official business is transacted. Adjoining the palace stands
+the handsome Roman Catholic Cathedral. A long flight of white marble
+steps leads up to the doors of the Cathedral and a spreading palm tree
+stands like a guard near the foot of the stairway. As we stood before
+the tomb of St. Geronimo in the interior of the Cathedral, we listened
+to the following tale told by our Catholic guide.
+
+"A young man by the name of Geronimo, who lived in Italy about three
+hundred and fifty years ago, was captured by the Moors, and because he
+would not renounce the Christian religion, was condemned by his captors
+to death by torture. They tied his feet and hands with cords and threw
+him alive into a mould of soft concrete which slowly hardened around
+him, and the stone thus formed was built into the wall of a fortress
+then in course of construction. Fifty years ago, when the fortress was
+being demolished, the block of stone was discovered with the skeleton
+enclosed therein. The bones were carefully removed and interred in this
+Chapel in the tomb you see before you. Into the vacant space within the
+block of concrete, after removal of the bones, liquid plaster of Paris
+was poured, as into a mould, and a perfect model of Geronimo's body was
+obtained and placed in the Museum. It was in recognition of this act of
+heroism in refusing to renounce the Christian faith that the martyr was
+canonized and the name of Geronimo was added to the calendar of the
+saints of our Church."
+
+In confirmation of the guide's story, the plaster of Paris model of the
+dead martyr's body may be seen among the curiosities and antiquities in
+the National Museum, a short distance from the Cathedral. This model
+shows the features, the clothing, and the cords which tied his feet and
+hands.
+
+The main business part of the city is not only modern but model, having
+clean, well paved streets lined with substantial white stone four-story
+buildings with arcades or covered pavements in front of them. As very
+little smoke or soot rises from the city the white buildings have not
+become soiled and darkened but retain their freshness and purity of
+color.
+
+Many of the stores we visited were kept by Arabs who understood French
+but could speak only a few words of English. The prices named by these
+merchants were generally two or three times more than they expected
+customers to pay, and it was very amusing to watch the process of a
+sale. A price was named by the dealer; a bid was made by the customer;
+then figuring, explaining, and dickering went on in a mixture of
+languages and signs until finally, if the buyer's patience did not wear
+out, the deal closed with a compromise. When the purchaser departed
+happy with a bargain, the dealer also appeared well satisfied, and if
+the same buyer returned to the store after once making a purchase, the
+Arab merchant would recognize and welcome him with most gracious smiles
+as if he were one of his warmest friends.
+
+In these shops there was offered for sale such a varied and attractive
+assortment of oriental wares, that by evening the tourists were laden
+with packages. Handsome silk rugs, embroidered silk waists, curiously
+carved Algerine weapons, brightly colored leather goods, articles of
+hammered brass or copper, silver filagree work, ornaments of silver and
+gold, trinkets of ivory, coral and pearl, fans, photographs, and picture
+postal cards purchased during the day, were stored away in staterooms as
+souvenirs of Algiers.
+
+At the market stands were fruits and vegetables in abundance. The dates
+offered were especially pleasing in appearance and quality. The bread
+dealers, we noticed, sold bread by weight, and added or cut off chunks
+and slices in order to give the exact weight wanted by customers.
+
+The beggars did not trouble us very much by their importunities,
+although they were to be seen everywhere in filth and rags. Street
+peddlers, however, were persistent in offering wares and trinkets for
+sale, and bright Arab boys, who had learned a few sentences of English
+ran after us offering their services as guides.
+
+The coffee shops which we saw while passing through the streets were as
+numerous in Algiers as beer saloons in an American city. As the
+Mohammedan religion forbids the use of alcoholic liquors, the Arab
+followers of Mahomet appeared to be satisfying their craving for
+stimulants by drinking strong black coffee and by drinking it often. In
+the cafes, which are open in front, allowing all that goes on inside to
+be visible from the street, and on the benches outside the shops, we saw
+the customers sitting crosslegged slowly imbibing this favorite beverage
+from tiny cups. It was plainly apparent that in this warm climate where
+there is no haste, numberless hours are dreamed away on the benches of
+these cafes.
+
+[Illustration: ON FRIDAYS THE WOMEN VISIT THE CEMETERY.]
+
+When we left the modern part of the city and ascended the avenues which
+lead up the hill toward the older portion we found the streets
+diminishing in width until they were only passageways from six to ten
+feet wide, bordered by high buildings with blank walls showing no
+windows below, but with projecting windows above which almost meet
+overhead. In some of these steep, narrow, crooked streets there are
+little shops about the size of a large closet in which the merchant,
+sitting crosslegged on bench or cushion, can reach his goods and wait on
+his customer without rising or interfering with the enjoyment of his
+pipe. As the narrow thoroughfares are not wide enough for carriages, we
+had to walk through them with a guide. We were not favorably impressed
+with the odors nor with the sight of the filth in the streets and were
+glad when the guide turned from the gloom and foulness of the ancient
+Moorish streets and led us again toward the bright and attractive
+avenues of the modern city.
+
+The electric street cars are divided into two compartments; the first
+class having thin cushions on the seats, and the second class having
+wooden seats without cushions. The natives save the extra penny of fare
+by crowding into the second class, thus giving to the first class
+passengers the advantage of always having enough room. In the second
+class, however, the tourists had a more favorable opportunity to study
+the people. Opposite us in one of the second class compartments which we
+entered sat two veiled women in their voluminous white bloomers and
+wrappings. We could see that one was old by the fact that she leaned
+upon a staff, and we decided that the other was young because she showed
+some curiosity. Sitting near us was a little black haired Arab girl
+with a chunk of dry bread in her hand, at which she was gnawing
+greedily. In a corner seat a meek looking nun in black gown and wide
+spreading stiff bonnet was counting the beads of her rosary as quietly
+as if alone in her devotions.
+
+[Illustration: ABLUTION AT THE FOUNTAIN BEFORE PRAYER IN THE MOSQUE.]
+
+"Look," said one, as we were leaving the car, "there is the 'Thomson and
+Houston' stamp on the motor."
+
+"Yes," responded another, "American products appear to be well
+represented in this French colony."
+
+On the main business thoroughfare we had noticed warerooms where
+'Singer' sewing machines are sold; at an agency of the 'Eastman Company'
+we had restocked our kodaks with films; and we could not avoid seeing on
+a large sign, in letters that could be read a block away, the words
+'American Dentist.' Consequently when we passed the American Consulate
+it was with a feeling of pride that we saluted the National Emblem which
+was floating gracefully in the breeze.
+
+In the Rue de Marine we saw an old structure of large dimensions with a
+long row of plain white marble columns in front, which, from its
+appearance, might be mistaken for an old warehouse. We were told by a
+Moslem guard, who fortunately understood our inquiry and was able to
+answer our questions in English, that the building is the Mosque El
+Tebir, the Great Mosque, and that we might enter subject to certain
+regulations.
+
+"You must remove your shoes," said he, "or wear slippers over your
+shoes. You must also pay a small entrance fee."
+
+In the vestibule, the door-keepers of the Mosque selected slippers from
+an assortment of different sizes which they kept for visitors' use and
+tied these over our shoes with tapes. We were then permitted to enter
+and wander around the interior over the handsome Persian rugs which
+cover the stone floor.
+
+"The Moslems regard their Mosques as very sacred places consecrated to
+the worship of Allah, and they will not permit any profanation of their
+sanctuary," cautioned one of our party, a Presbyterian minister, seeing
+that we were inclined to make fun of the slippers. "The Moslems remove
+their shoes and enter the place of worship with reverence, and they
+expect us to behave in a respectful manner."
+
+[Illustration: THE CATHEDRAL ADJOINS THE PALACE OF THE GOVERNOR.]
+
+"The removal of the shoes at the entrance to a place of worship,"
+continued the minister in explanation, "is an immemorial Eastern custom
+based on the words: 'And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy
+shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy
+ground,' and also on the words: 'And the captain of the Lord's hosts
+said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place
+whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.' We should remember
+that the Mohammedan faith is based on the Old Testament, though
+supplemented by the instructions of Mahomet."
+
+In this ancient Mosque, where the worship of Allah and the study of the
+Koran has continued for nine hundred years, we found a few barefoot
+worshipers, some kneeling muttering their prayers, while others squatted
+on the floor reading the Koran aloud. At one end of the interior we saw
+the niche which indicates the direction in which lies the Holy City of
+Mecca, and toward this, as is the custom in all Mohammedan mosques, the
+worshipers turn their faces while at prayer. There were no benches or
+chairs in the mosque, as the devotees assumed a crosslegged position on
+the thick rugs during the time of their reading, and stood or knelt
+while offering prayer.
+
+The Jardin d'Essai, or Botanical Garden, situated in the suburbs near
+the sea about two miles from the center of the city, is reached by an
+electric street car of American make which for a three-cent fare
+carried us to the gates. In the garden the large and varied collection
+of tropical trees, plants, and vines, so different from those growing in
+our own temperate climate, greatly delighted us. An "Avenue of Palms"
+half a mile long was lined with palm trees of many varieties, some
+wide-spreading and curiously branching has broad leaves, and others,
+high-growing, has tufted tops swaying in the air fifty or sixty feet
+above our heads. A wider avenue of similar length was bordered with
+magnolia trees of immense growth which we then saw only in bud, but it
+was not difficult to see in imagination the magnificent picture that
+would be presented to the eye, when later on, these millions of buds
+overhead would be in full bloom. The "Bamboo Pathway" led through a
+dense growth of bamboos whose slender poles, bending under a slight
+breeze, kept up a continual creaking sound. Huge trees, whose
+wide-spreading branches were supported by scores of accessory trunks, so
+that each tree formed a grove of its own, we recognized as banyan trees.
+In one part of the garden, winding paths led through a tangled tropical
+growth so dense and wild that one felt as if in the midst of an African
+jungle where a tiger might spring forth or a boa constrictor drop down
+on one's head.
+
+On the heights to the east, in the favorite modern residential district,
+called Mustapha Superieur, many large white stone hotels and apartment
+houses were situated amid gardens of glossy-leaved orange and lemon
+trees. Palms, plane, and pepper trees lined the clean, wide avenues;
+green terraces beautified the hillside gardens; and villas were almost
+hidden from sight by the climbing roses and luxuriant vines with
+clusters of purple racemes.
+
+"Many of these villas," said the guide, "are owned by wealthy English
+and French families who spend the winters here. The mild climate and
+uniform temperature of our city makes this place a favorite winter
+resort not only for invalids, but for those who desire to get away from
+the damp fogs and harsh winds of more northern climates."
+
+[Illustration: THE ENTRANCE TO A NARROW STREET.]
+
+"Our city is noted for two views which we think are unsurpassed," he
+continued, as the driver reined in his team on a summit. "One is this
+which we now look down upon of city, harbor, sea, and villages near and
+distant along the shore. The other, you already have seen from the deck
+of the vessel, yet at sunset you will find that panorama of the city,
+villages, heights and mountains even more beautiful."
+
+While we were exploring the city, the officers on the steamer were
+engaged in directing the taking on of fresh supplies of coal, water, and
+provisions, which had been purchased at Algiers. During the two days the
+Moltke lay in the harbor fifteen hundred tons of coal were carried in
+baskets on the shoulders of Arabs from barges into the hold of the
+vessel, a slow method of delivering compared with the rush of the steam
+scoops in New York harbor where three thousand tons were dumped into the
+bunkers in a few hours' time. Fresh water also was brought from shore in
+tank barges and pumped from these into the tanks on the steamer. The
+quantity of fresh water required at this port cost the steamship
+company, so the engineer informed us, a sum equal to four hundred
+dollars. Also great quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables were
+received on board, one of the most welcome things thus added to our
+bountiful bill of fare being the tender green artichoke which in Algiers
+grows to perfection.
+
+On Thursday afternoon a reception was held on the Moltke and our band
+gave a most enjoyable musical program for the occasion. Hundreds of well
+dressed, courteous French ladies, gentlemen, and children, and some
+French officials in uniforms, came on board to visit the vessel which
+was thrown wide open for their examination. Some of the officers of the
+naval vessels also came to the reception and extended a cordial
+invitation to the tourists to visit the gunboats. This invitation was
+accepted by some who were willing to spare the time for that purpose.
+
+[Illustration: A STREET IN OLD ALGIERS.]
+
+"Less than one hundred years ago Algiers was a country of pirates," said
+one of the officers to a group of tourists, "and Algerine corsairs
+flying the black flag infested the Mediterranean coast. Like birds of
+prey they pounced upon the merchant vessels of other nations,
+confiscating the cargoes, seizing seamen and passengers, and burning the
+ships. They cast thousands of captives into dungeons and demanded heavy
+ransoms for their release. They sent many thousands to the markets to be
+sold,--the men to be degraded to slavery, the women, praying for death,
+to be dragged away to harems of their purchasers. Among the captives
+held for ransom were many Americans. But you are familiar with all this
+ancient history."
+
+"No, we are not," replied one of the ladies; "I may have read it but if
+so, it has slipped from my mind. Why, we have gone about the city
+feeling as safe and secure from harm and insult as we did in our home
+cities."
+
+"And you were as safe in Algiers during the day time as you would be in
+Paris, London, or New York. I should advise you, though, to keep off the
+streets of this and all Oriental cities after nightfall. We may be proud
+to remember that the United States was one of the first countries to
+stop paying ransoms and to administer a salutary reproof. In June of the
+year 1815 our Commodore Decatur sailed into this harbor and sent a
+message to the Dey of Algiers demanding the release of all Americans
+then held in captivity, threatening to bombard the city if the prisoners
+were not set free. The Dey after some demur yielded through fear of
+bombardment and liberated all the Americans; but sent a message to the
+Commodore requesting that a tribute in the shape of powder be given him
+in exchange for the captives. 'If the Dey wants powder, he must take the
+balls with it,' Decatur bravely replied. After that the merchant vessels
+flying the American flag were not molested. The great destruction of
+ships and the capture of Europeans continued until France, highly
+exasperated, determined that it must be stopped, and the Moors punished.
+An expedition was sent to Algiers and the country was conquered in the
+year 1830, since then Algiers has been a French colonial possession."
+
+Just as the sun was dropping below the horizon filling the air with a
+golden light, the anchor was slowly raised. A number of the French
+people who had been visitors to the Molkte were in a steam launch near
+by waiting to see our departure.
+
+[Illustration: LED THROUGH A TROPICAL, TANGLED GROWTH.]
+
+"Adieu," "Adieu," "Bon voyage," were the parting salutations, as the
+French ladies waved handkerchiefs and the French men raised their hats.
+
+As the warships were passed, "Three cheers for the Red, White, and Blue"
+were given with a will amid waving hats, handkerchiefs, and small flags,
+and our greeting was answered by the lowering and raising of the Stars
+and Stripes on board the warships. Then our great ship steamed slowly
+out of the harbor, passing the forts which at the extremities of the
+moles guarded the entrance, and the lighthouse whose strong, steady
+light was just beginning to shine.
+
+As we entered the open sea we looked back with regret at the scene of
+beauty behind us. Vessels flying flags of many nationalities lay at
+anchor in the harbor or at the piers. Above the handsome white stone
+docks on the sloping hillside rose the clean-looking white city. On the
+hill to the right far away in bold relief stood the Church of our Lady
+of Africa. To the left, as far as the eye could reach, along the shore
+of the bay beyond the city, were clusters of Moorish houses, white
+villages, and green plains, and on the heights above, white villas and
+hotels in the midst of green foliage. In the distance rose a range of
+high hills, and far beyond the gray peaks of the Atlas Mountains bounded
+the horizon.
+
+No picturing of that scene can show the beauty of the view there
+presented to our eyes. But he who has visited Algiers will never forget
+the soft harmonizing colors of blue sky, white and yellow buildings,
+green foliage, and gray background.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+THE ISLAND OF MALTA.
+
+
+Among the tourists were twenty-one Knights Templar. These Knights took a
+special interest in the history of the island of Malta and the romantic
+story of the Knights of St. John. For the benefit of those who desired
+the information, a lecture on Malta was delivered by a member of our
+party who was familiar with the subject.
+
+"Know something of the history of the island," advised the lecturer,
+"and you will appreciate and enjoy what you see there more highly than
+you would without that knowledge. In the fortifications, the palaces,
+the churches, of this island you will find many memorials of the Knights
+of Malta, and it may add to your pleasure to hear something about the
+famous warrior-monks before visiting these places."
+
+Many of his hearers, taking the advice, made notes of the story as
+related by him.
+
+"About one thousand years ago," he said, "the Order of the Knights
+Hospitallers was organized at Jerusalem, by Italians. Its members took
+vows of fraternity, chastity, and poverty. The purpose of the Order was
+to erect hospices for the shelter of pilgrims who came to visit the Holy
+Sepulchre at Jerusalem, and hospitals in which to care for the pilgrims
+when sick. During many years of faithful service the work of the
+Hospitallers was supported by contributions from all Christendom; but
+when the oppression of the Turks became unendurable, the Knights took
+upon themselves vows to fight in defense of the Christian faith, and the
+religious brotherhood became a band of saintly warriors. This band
+during the time of the Crusades grew into a great military order known
+as the 'Knights of St. John.' In the battles of the Crusades, the
+Knights, fighting against the infidels for the possession of the Holy
+Land, became renowned for great personal strength, dauntless courage,
+and daring heroism.
+
+[Illustration: THE HARBOR IS SURROUNDED BY OLD GRAY FORTRESSES.]
+
+"After the failure of the Crusades, the Knights were expelled from
+Palestine by the victorious Saracens, and, twenty years later, were
+driven from the near-by island of Cyprus. Fleeing to the island of
+Rhodes, they there enjoyed two centuries of power and increasing
+prosperity, during which time the banner of the cross remained
+victorious over warring Turks, Greeks, and pirates. Then at the end of
+this period came the memorable siege of Rhodes. For six months the
+steel-clad cavaliers withstood the assaults of the Ottoman hosts, and
+their ponderous battle axes swept down the infidel assailers by scores.
+Personal strength, however, could not endure the continual strain. The
+besieged, utterly worn out, were compelled to capitulate and leave
+Rhodes; but as a compliment to their valor, they were permitted by the
+Sultan to depart in honor, taking with them all movable property and
+treasure.
+
+"In the year 1530, the Knights of St. John found a refuge on the island
+of Malta. They grew in numbers and importance, fortified the island, and
+resumed the warfare against their hereditary foes. Success at sea and
+on land resulted in the capture of richly laden prizes, multitudes of
+captives, and booty of enormous value. The captives became slaves
+laboring on the fortifications or straining at the oars. The booty
+adorned the churches and enriched the people. But as power and wealth
+increased, the desire for spoils took possession of the hearts of the
+Knights and the original vows of humility, kindness, and charity were
+forgotten. They became proud and boastful seekers of plunder and
+believed themselves to be invincible. Their enemies called them pirates.
+
+"In 1565 their numbers were greatly reduced during a noted siege by the
+Sultan of Turkey. Then fortune smiled or frowned on them in varying
+moods for many years, whose story is filled with romance and interest.
+In 1798 the island of Malta, after having been for nearly three
+centuries in the possession of the Knights of St. John, was captured by
+an invading French force, and two years later it became, by conquest, an
+English possession.
+
+"The fortifications have since then been strengthened and equipped with
+modern armaments, so that the island is now considered an impregnable
+stronghold. Here, as at Gibraltar, an army is stationed in the barracks,
+and great quantities of provisions are kept in store to supply the
+garrison in case of siege. The harbor of Valetta is deep and safe, and
+the narrow entrance is commanded by three strong fortresses. Here is the
+headquarters of the Mediterranean fleet of the British navy. Here, also,
+are great repair docks, a coaling station where huge stocks of coal are
+kept on hand, and warehouses filled with naval supplies.
+
+[Illustration: MALTESE WOMEN WEAR PECULIAR BONNETS.]
+
+"The island is densely populated, the number of people to the square
+mile being four times greater than in England. The city of Valetta, the
+capital of Malta, named after the Grand Master, Jean de La Vallette, by
+whom it was founded in the sixteenth century, stands high above the
+water on a commanding promontory."
+
+"In this condensed account," said the lecturer in conclusion, "I have
+tried to give you a few of the main facts relating to the Knights and
+the island. Those of you who are interested in the romantic history may
+read it more fully when you have leisure after your return home."
+
+The Moltke cast anchor in the harbor of Valetta about six o'clock on the
+morning of the twenty-first of February. After we had partaken of an
+early breakfast, Maltese boatmen in scarlet caps and sashes, who stood
+up while handling their oars, rowed us to the shore. Their brightly
+painted boats had peculiar carved wooden posts erected at prow and stern
+and white awnings overhead. Walking up a sloping, zigzag pathway,
+constructed in a passage cut down through the high cliffs, we ascended
+from the busy docks to the heights above. At the summit a Maltese
+gentleman kindly directed us on our way to the Queen's Garden located
+directly above the landing place.
+
+From the parapets of this place a magnificent and interesting view of
+the harbor was obtained. Not far away, but hundreds of feet below us,
+the Moltke lay, encircled by the white awning-covered boats. Eight large
+battleships and a dozen cruisers and gunboats, all painted black, were
+lying peacefully at anchor. Steamships and sailing vessels at the docks
+were discharging cargoes, or were lying in the bay awaiting their turn
+to unload. Steam launches were busily flying from one point to another,
+and little ferry boats were constantly crossing and re-crossing the bay.
+The harbor was surrounded by high cliffs and old gray fortifications.
+At the entrance to the bay stood a tall lighthouse and a frowning
+fortress, the one for guidance, the other for protection. Through the
+entrance a ship with spread sails was entering, and beyond, the sunlight
+shone on the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean.
+
+[Illustration: ATTRACTIVE STORES LINE THE "STRADA REALE."]
+
+The streets of Valetta were full of life that day. In reply to inquiries
+we were informed that on the following day, the Sunday preceding Lent, a
+festa, or carnival, lasting three days, would begin. During the festa,
+business would be suspended, and the people, disguised in masks and
+fanciful costumes, would engage in most ludicrous and extraordinary
+antics and play all manner of practical jokes on one another, showering
+the passers-by gently with confetti and flowers, or pelting them
+stingingly with dried peas and beans. Many children, impatient for the
+morrow to come, were already parading the streets arrayed in their
+costumes.
+
+Attractive stores line the "Strada Reale," the main shopping street. In
+these stores laces, gold and silver filagree work, jewelry, and
+embroidered muslins were the principal wares sought by the tourists. The
+ladies of our party were particularly anxious to secure pieces of
+Maltese lace, a special hand-made product noted for the excellence of
+its quality, the making of which gives employment to thousands of the
+inhabitants. In trading with the Maltese merchants, we soon found that
+the prices asked by the dealers were about twice the amount the customer
+was expected to pay, and that bargaining was as necessary in Malta as in
+Algiers.
+
+Almost all the costumes we saw on the streets were of the English style,
+but the varied uniforms of soldiers and the distinctive garments of
+Greeks, Turks, Spaniards, and Arabs added color and interest to the
+scene. The Maltese women wear immense bonnets, called faldettas. These
+peculiar bonnets have long skirts which reach to the waist and are
+totally black without color or ornament. As the majority of the
+inhabitants are Roman Catholics, we saw many priests and monks who wore
+black robes and very broad-brimmed black hats turned up at the sides.
+
+The Maltese are lovers of flowers, which are raised in profusion. At the
+corners of the principal streets were small fanciful buildings, a few
+feet in diameter, in which dark eyed brunettes offered flowers and
+bonbons for sale. The people also love music. In the Opera House, an
+elaborate structure, which, we were told, cost a quarter of a million
+dollars, Grand Opera is given three times a week for six months in the
+year.
+
+We visited the old church of St. John, which was built three centuries
+ago and lavishly adorned out of the proceeds of plunder that had been
+taken from infidels and pirates. The tower above the church contains a
+chime of ten bells, and the clock on the tower has a triple face, one
+face showing the hour of the day, one showing the day of the week, and
+the third, the day of the month. The heavy doors were open, but a
+curtain of matting hung over the entrance. A ragged, barefoot boy ran
+before us, and, drawing aside the matting that we might enter, extended
+his hand for a penny. We walked over the beautiful inlaid mosaic marble
+floor, and beheld handsomely painted ceilings with life-size figures
+overhead, and richly decorated walls and pillars around us. A priest
+with pride pointed out the famous paintings on the walls, the bronze and
+the marble statues around the sides, and, in the various chapels, the
+three huge iron keys which opened the gates of Jerusalem, Acre, and
+Rhodes, and the gates of solid silver in front of the richly decorated
+altar. As we stood before the silver gates our guide told us his little
+story:
+
+"When the French captured Malta in 1798 they carried away as booty the
+most valuable possessions of the church in the form of precious jewels,
+silver statues, golden vessels, valuable vestments, and works of art.
+The Emperor Napoleon with his own hand took a most valuable diamond
+from the finger of the jeweled glove which covered the sacred relic, the
+hand of St. John, and placed it on his own finger. The Emperor also took
+the diamond mounted sword, which had been carried by Valette, and
+buckled it to his side. These silver gates, too, would have been carried
+away but for the forethought of a priest who painted them black and so
+concealed their value."
+
+[Illustration: THE STREETS OF VALETTA WERE FULL OF LIFE THAT DAY
+PRECEDING THE FESTA.]
+
+In the nave of this church we tramped over hundreds of marble slabs
+which have been placed among the mosaics in the floor as memorials of
+the knights and nobles who are buried underneath. These flat tombstones
+are adorned with representations of coats-of-arms, musical instruments,
+angels, crowns, palms, skeletons, and other odd devices. But in the
+crypt underneath, whither we were next conducted, majestic monuments of
+elaborate design mark the resting places of the most noted Grand Masters
+of the Order, the tomb of Grand Master Cottoner being one of the most
+imposing. In the sacristy we gazed at, but were not permitted to touch,
+the beautifully illuminated missals, the finely woven pieces of ancient
+embroidery, and the splendid robes of former Grand Masters.
+
+"The tapestry of the Lord's Supper and many other wonderful tapestries
+are locked in that chamber," said the priest, pointing to a closed door,
+"and are only exhibited in June each year."
+
+At one of the altars in a side chapel worshipers knelt before a piece of
+the true cross; but the relics regarded as most precious in the custody
+of the Church of St. John, a thorn from the Savior's crown, portions of
+the bones of three apostles, one of the stones cast at St. Stephen, the
+right foot of Lazarus, and a fragment of the cradle of the infant Jesus,
+are guarded with great care and rarely exposed to the gaze of curious
+eyes.
+
+In the Governor's Palace the tourists spent a short time. The walls of
+the Council Chamber are hung with rare tapestry which has retained its
+color and beauty for nearly three centuries. The dining room and
+corridors are decorated with paintings of grim-faced Grand Masters of
+the past; and the gorgeous ball room contains a throne on which these
+same rulers sat in state surrounded by pomp and splendor. In the great
+hall of the Armory are rows of figures clad in the antique armor worn by
+the Knights, together with steel gloves, helmets, and coats of mail,
+inlaid with gold and silver; and around this hall are arranged the
+crossbows, arquebuses, spears, pikes, swords, battle axes, and old
+battle flags. There with the treasures are the old silver trumpet that
+sounded the retreat from Rhodes, and the faded parchment manuscript, or
+Papal edict, which sanctioned the gift of the island by Charles V. of
+Germany to the Knights; and among the trophies are the jeweled coat of
+mail and weapons of a famous Algerine corsair, a cannon curiously
+constructed of a copper tube wound with tarred rope, and many torn and
+blood-stained, crescent-mounted standards which in the hand-to-hand
+conflicts had been captured from the Turks.
+
+"What soldier of the present day could march or even ride any distance
+so encumbered with steel?" remarked one of the tourists as we stood
+before an emblazoned suit of mail that had been worn by one of the
+Grand Masters of the Knights. "To handle these heavy battle axes or long
+spears for stroke after stroke or thrust after thrust during the long
+hours the battle raged must have required muscles of steel and wonderful
+powers of endurance."
+
+[Illustration: THE CLOCK ABOVE THE ANCIENT CHURCH HAS A TRIPLE FACE.]
+
+"These breastplates and helmets and shields, which were worn by the
+Knights to protect them from the arrows and spears of their enemies,"
+said one of the ladies, as she looked at the old armor, "enable me to
+understand better what St. Paul meant when he wrote to the Ephesians:
+'Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the
+wiles of the devil,' and 'all the fiery darts of the wicked.' The old
+monk-soldiers must have interpreted that command literally when they
+went out to fight the infidels."
+
+After completing our sight-seeing in the city of Valetta, a little train
+of cars on a narrow-gauge railroad carried us a distance of six miles to
+the older city of Citta Vecchia. The land along the way as far as we
+could see was divided into small plots ranging from about half an acre
+to two acres in size. Each plot was surrounded by stone walls from six
+to ten feet in height, many of which were broken and dilapidated. We
+were told that, although the climate of the island is quite mild,
+violent winds frequently blow over it, and these walls were erected to
+protect the fig, orange, lemon, and other fruit trees from destruction.
+Protected from the high winds, these trees yield abundantly; and, in the
+fertile soil of these plots, two or three crops of vegetables are raised
+each year. Much of the land was rocky and uncultivated. Very few trees
+were seen and those were dwarfed. One species of evergreen tree, called
+the Carob, grew only ten feet in height, but spread to three times that
+in breadth. In some neglected spots the prickly pear grew in rank
+masses. The houses along the way, built of yellow or gray stone, had a
+weather-beaten look, and the yards around them were enclosed with high
+walls. The small square windows in the houses and the flat stone roofs
+with enclosing parapets reminded us of pictures of the houses in Bible
+stories.
+
+In Citta Vecchia the two principal attractions were the Cathedral of St.
+Paul and the Grotto of St. Paul. The Cathedral is said to be built on
+the site of the house of Publius, the governor of the island, who
+entertained and lodged St. Paul for three days after he was ship-wrecked
+on this island, which in the Bible is called Melita. The Grotto is said
+to have been occupied by St. Paul during his three months' stay on the
+island. About four miles from the Cathedral is the bay of St. Paul,
+where the apostle was wrecked while on his way to Rome. There is the
+little creek in which the sailors tried to guide the storm-tossed vessel
+and the shore to which they escaped "on boards and on broken pieces of
+the ship."
+
+In Citta Vecchia we were shown the mosaic pavement and the decorated
+frieze of an old Roman house supposed to be over two thousand years old,
+which had been uncovered at a considerable distance below the surface
+while an excavation was being made. Notwithstanding their age the old
+mosaic pavement and frieze were in good condition.
+
+An interesting day of sight-seeing closed with a drive in Valetta
+through the humbler part of the city and down a long inclined street
+which led to the docks. At nightfall as our steamship moved eastward the
+lights of Malta's stronghold gradually faded from our sight, but the
+gleam of its lighthouse followed us for many a mile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VII
+
+ATHENS AND THE ACROPOLIS.
+
+
+The sun was just appearing in the east as we approached the seaport of
+the Grecian capital.
+
+Through the mists of the dawning day we could make out dimly, ahead of
+us, only bleak bare hills. As the Moltke steamed through the straits we
+saw a lighthouse and a few buildings on the shore and over the low hill
+on our right the tops of masts; but when the vessel had entered through
+a narrow passage between the moles extending from either side, and had
+anchored in the centre of the well protected and commodious harbor of
+Piraeus, we gazed on a scene of animation and activity. The bay was
+filled with shipping and the shore lined with warehouses where the
+stevedores were already busily engaged in lading or discharging cargoes.
+On each side of the Moltke, little more than a stone's throw away, lay
+gray battleships, cruisers, torpedo boats, destroyers, and other naval
+craft.
+
+"What war vessels are those?" was the question asked eagerly by many
+passengers.
+
+"The white flag with the blue St. Andrew's cross floating over that
+warship is the Russian national emblem," patiently replied one of the
+officers of our steamer, "and so I conclude that these vessels compose
+the Russian Mediterranean squadron."
+
+A band on the flagship began to play and the Russian sailors in clean
+white suits were seen forming in lines on the decks of the vessels,
+evidently for inspection or morning roll-call. On the rigging above the
+sailors' heads, swaying in the breeze, were hundreds of white suits,
+washed and hung out to dry.
+
+[Illustration: HUNDREDS OF WHITE SUITS HUNG OUT TO DRY.]
+
+Soon fifty or more large row boats were plying around our steamer in
+readiness to convey us to the railroad station at the upper end of the
+harbor about a mile away. As we approached the shore in these boats we
+saw on the wharf at Piraeus a motley crowd of dirty-handed, bare-footed,
+ill-clothed men and boys. It seemed as if all the idle and vagabond
+population of the city had assembled to lounge lazily in the sun,
+hoping, perhaps, to obtain some small coins from the tourists during
+the transfer from boat to cars. If this was their hope they were
+disappointed. All arrangements for the welfare of the Moltke tourists
+had been carefully made in advance, and, as there was no baggage to be
+carried, the services of the dirty-handed men were not required.
+
+"Are these vagabonds and tramps the descendants of the noble Greeks whom
+we have honored all our lives?" sadly remarked a minister in our boat.
+"Can these be the offspring of the great orators who electrified their
+hearers, or of the famous architects and artists whose names are
+immortal? Are these swarthy-faced, plain-featured idlers the
+representatives of the Greek beauty of form and feature?"
+
+[Illustration: STRENGTH AND SIMPLICITY RATHER THAN BEAUTY.]
+
+In preparation for a visit to these historic shores we had filled our
+minds with tales of heroism and visions of the beautiful; now the sight
+of this bare-footed throng, so different from the pictures we had formed
+in our minds, was a severe shock to our imagination.
+
+"These vagabonds do not represent the Greek race," responded another who
+had traveled in that country before; "they are merely the dregs of the
+people, a class that may be found in any large city and especially in
+the seaports."
+
+The distance from Piraeus to the city of Athens is but five miles. From
+the windows of the little cars we could see that the valley through
+which we passed was a succession of well cultivated fields, vineyards,
+and gardens. A white road, almost parallel to the railroad, traversed
+the valley. Gray-green trees in the distance indicated a district of
+olive orchards.
+
+At a station on the outskirts of the city we left the train and followed
+an old guide to visit the Theseum, or Temple of Theseus, a large edifice
+built in simple Doric style. The plain columns and unadorned pediments
+express strength and simplicity rather than beauty. Notwithstanding the
+fact that twenty-four centuries have passed since its erection, this
+temple is noted as being the best preserved of all the ancient buildings
+of Greece. A short time, however, sufficed for a view of the plain
+exterior and an entrance into the gloomy interior.
+
+[Illustration: I. OVER THE RUINS OF THE ANCIENT CITY.]
+
+[Illustration: II. "THIS IS MARS HILL," SAID THE GUIDE.]
+
+Then proceeding along a fine modern road, built over the ruins of the
+ancient city, traces of which were seen in adjacent excavations, we
+passed, on our right, an open plateau on the rocks where an audience of
+eight or ten thousand might assemble. This was the Pynx of ancient
+times, a gathering place of the people. A flight of steps hewn in the
+stone at one side of this plateau leads up to a platform cut in the
+rock. From this rock, named the Platform of Demosthenes, great orators
+addressed the multitude, stirring their countrymen to deeds of valor.
+Beyond the Pynx, a cave with gates of rusty grated iron was pointed out
+as the prison in which the noble Socrates was incarcerated before being
+condemned to drink the fatal hemlock.
+
+[Illustration: ONCE THE MAGNIFICENT MARBLE STAIRCASE.]
+
+Farther up the slope the guide pointed to a small rock elevation on our
+left and said: "That is the Areopagus, or Mars Hill, from which the
+Apostle Paul made his appeal to the idolatrous Athenians. He probably
+ascended those sixteen steps that you see hewn in the rock. Where we are
+standing now, the people stood to listen. From that elevation Paul could
+view the avenues leading to the Acropolis, avenues adorned with statues
+in honor of gods and goddesses and famous heroes."
+
+[Illustration: IN HONOR OF NIKE, THE GODDESS OF VICTORY.]
+
+As we stood there, we could almost hear Paul's words:
+
+"Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too
+superstitious. For as I passed by, and beheld the gods that ye worship,
+I found an altar with this inscription, 'To the Unknown God.'--God
+dwelleth not in temples made with hands.--We ought not to think that
+the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and
+man's device." The altar to the unknown god to which Paul referred may
+have been one of the many altars within sight of the elevation on which
+he stood.
+
+After we left Mars Hill a few minutes' walk brought us to the foot of a
+long flight of ruined steps, at the top of which stood broken marble
+columns. Before us was the Acropolis, the highest point of the city, a
+rocky eminence with inaccessible cliffs on three sides. The only
+approach to its summit, which is about two hundred feet above the level
+of the modern city, is on the southwest side, being reached by the
+avenues we had followed up the gradual slope past Mars Hill.
+
+"On this height," said the guide, "the Athenians, during the reign of
+Pericles in the golden age of Greece, erected a temple to their patron
+deity, Minerva, the goddess of wisdom. And to this goddess, named also
+Athena, who, as they asserted, sprang from the brain of Jupiter a mature
+woman in complete armor, they looked for protection. For her they
+offered their choicest gifts, yet they did not neglect the multitude of
+other gods whom they feared to offend."
+
+The old guide was well informed, but his English was rather difficult to
+understand. He was interrupted a number of times until one of the
+tourists, a college professor, undertook the task of assisting him in
+the story.
+
+"These dilapidated stone steps," said the professor, "formed once the
+magnificent marble staircase that led to the gateway of the Acropolis.
+The staircase was seventy feet in width; in the centre was a sloping
+carriageway up which chariots could be driven. It was built by Pericles
+four hundred years before the Christian era. Statues of wonderful
+beauty, by famous sculptors, were arranged along the steps. At times of
+great rejoicing, as after a victory, triumphal processions ascended
+these flights to present offerings to the gods, or to deposit in the
+treasury of the temple the spoils taken from their enemies and to offer
+sacrifices and worship to their protecting goddess. The Propylaea, or
+grand entrance hall and gateway to the Acropolis, stood at the head of
+the stairway; these broken columns are all that remain of one of the
+most imposing structures of that golden age."
+
+[Illustration: GIGANTIC STATUES OF WOMEN UPHOLD THE CORNICE.]
+
+"Keep close to the professor and never mind the guide," urged one of our
+companions. We followed her suggestion.
+
+"This small building on our right with four graceful Ionic columns in
+front," continued the professor, "is the Temple of the Wingless Victory,
+so called because it was erected by the Athenians in honor of Nike, the
+goddess of Victory. The statue of Nike which they placed within the
+temple, bore in her hand the palm of victory and upheld the wreath of
+laurel, but lacked the customary wings. The Athenians hoped that without
+wings victory might never depart from the shores of Greece."
+
+"The building to our left," said the professor as we moved on, "was
+named the Erechtheum after the Attic hero Erechtheus, and once contained
+a seated figure of the goddess Athena. These six gigantic statues of
+women upholding the cornice of the porch are the Caryatides and deserve
+a careful examination; for, although carefully prepared casts of the
+Caryatides may be seen in some of the large museums, no cast can be a
+perfect representation of the original. One of these figures, as you may
+easily see, is only a copy, the original having been carried away to
+England by Lord Elgin and given to the British Museum. The marble
+columns on the other side of the Erechtheum are considered the best
+examples in existence of the Ionic style of architecture."
+
+[Illustration: ACROSS THE SUMMIT OF THE ACROPOLIS, TRAMPLING OVER
+FRAGMENTS OF DECORATIONS.]
+
+Near the Erechtheum we passed the foundation on which had stood a
+colossal bronze figure of Athena, sixty feet in height, holding in her
+hand a spear tipped with gold, the point of which could be seen by the
+ancient mariners far out at sea. Making our way across the summit of the
+Acropolis around pieces of broken columns, trampling over fragments of
+decorations, and passing foundations of missing statues, we stood in
+front of the Parthenon, the temple which had been erected to the patron
+deity of the Athenians. We thought that the professor might weary of
+answering questions, but he seemed glad to voice the thoughts that were
+arising in his mind.
+
+"In the harmonious proportions of this stately edifice," he said, "the
+peerless genius of the architect Ictinus, who designed the structure, is
+revealed, and in the delicate finish of the smallest details of the
+sculptured work, the wonderful skill of the artists who carried out the
+master's design is shown. We hardly know which to admire more, the
+matchless genius of the designer, or the marvelous skill of the artists.
+Our poet Emerson truly says:
+
+    "Earth proudly wears the Parthenon
+    As the best gem upon her throne."
+
+During a pause for critical examination of the front of the temple, the
+amateur photographers of the party placed their cameras in position.
+
+"Place a group of people in the foreground," suggested the professor.
+"You see that the marble steps are nearly two feet in height, and
+without some object for comparison, these steps in a picture will appear
+to be only of ordinary size, thus an adequate idea of the size of the
+temple will not be given. When you see any picture of the Parthenon
+notice the truth of my suggestion.
+
+"There were, as you see at this end now," continued our instructor,
+"eight white marble columns at each end and seventeen columns along each
+side. The columns on the sides are mostly broken now or altogether gone,
+and the color has changed from white to this soft golden yellow tint.
+The carved marble frieze, which, over five hundred feet in length,
+extended around the building, was the work of Phidias and has never been
+surpassed in beauty by any sculpture of the kind in the world. And these
+fluted columns are, in grace and proportion, the noblest examples of the
+Doric style of architecture."
+
+"But, in the interior," said the professor, becoming more enthusiastic,
+"surrounded by statues and works of art in marble, bronze, ebony, ivory,
+and gold, stood the crowning glory of the Parthenon, the famous
+colossal statue of the goddess Athena Parthenos, Athena the Virgin,
+forty feet in height, made of ivory and gold under the direction of
+Phidias. The Caryatides as we looked at them awhile ago appeared
+gigantic in size, but they are only eight feet in height. The height of
+the statue of Athena was equal to five Caryatides one above the other.
+Let me read you the description of the statue by an old Greek historian,
+Pausanias."
+
+The professor, drawing a note book from his pocket, read as follows:
+"The image itself is made of ivory and gold. Its helmet is surmounted in
+the middle by the figure of a sphinx, and on either side of the helmet
+are griffins wrought in relief. The image of Athena stands upright, clad
+in a garment that reaches to her feet; on her breast is the head of
+Medusa wrought in ivory. She holds a Victory about four cubits high in
+one hand, and in the other hand a spear. At her feet lies a shield, and
+near the spear is a serpent."
+
+"The Victory referred to by Pausanias," said the professor, replacing
+his note book, "was an image of the goddess of Victory half the height
+of the Caryatides, which we refer to for comparison. The size of the
+statue held in Athena's hand helps us to realize the height of the
+colossal figure."
+
+"The Parthenon contained also a treasury in which the Athenians
+deposited the immense treasures and spoils taken from their enemies. In
+the course of centuries, however, the growing wealth and power of Athens
+incurred the jealousy and wrath of other nations. The city was conquered
+and ravaged many times. The Persians ingloriously failed in their
+attempt, but the Romans, victorious under Nero, despoiled this temple
+and carried away hundreds of bronze statues and works of art to grace
+the Emperor's triumphal entry into Rome. Other Roman conquerors,
+following Nero's example, exhibited to the applauding multitudes in the
+streets of Rome long trains of spoils, consisting of the rarest
+paintings, ornaments, and bronzes torn from the Parthenon. Goths,
+Normans, Franks, Venetians, and Vandals successively plundered the city,
+stripping away the decorations of gold and silver from columns and
+walls, and breaking from their foundations the statues that adorned the
+plateau of the Acropolis. The Turks carried off shiploads of marble and
+bronzes to Constantinople. England also enriched the British Museum with
+many choice marbles from the Acropolis--to preserve them, Lord Elgin
+explained."
+
+[Illustration: A SHELL DESCENDED INTO THE PARTHENON, THE PRIDE OF
+CENTURIES LAY SHATTERED.]
+
+The professor paused for a moment and his hearers made use of the time
+to express some very decided opinions with reference to Lord Elgin.
+
+"But the culminating disaster to the Parthenon occurred in the year
+1687," continued the professor, resuming his story with as much sadness
+in his voice as if the disaster had been a personal loss. "Greece was
+then under the rule of the Sultan, and the Parthenon was used by his
+army as a powder magazine. The Venetians at war with the Turks,
+besieging Athens, bombarded the city. A shell descended into the
+Parthenon, and in a moment's time the most magnificent architectural
+structure of ancient times, the pride of centuries, lay shattered in the
+ruins we see before us."
+
+"The Parthenon in twenty-four centuries has seen many religious
+changes. Built first as a temple of idolatry, it became under the Romans
+a Roman Catholic Cathedral, under the Greeks again a Greek Christian
+Church, and then under the Sultan's rule a Mohammedan Mosque."
+
+[Illustration: THE PREDOMINATING COLOR OF THE CITY IS YELLOW.]
+
+The professor wished to apologize for detaining us with the length of
+his explanations but he was overwhelmed with expressions of appreciation
+for his kindness.
+
+[Illustration: THE THEATRE OF BACCHUS HAS TIERS OF STONE SEATS.]
+
+"Why," said one of the tourists, "we have sailed half way around the
+world to see these ruins, and yet some of us have so neglected history
+and mythology that, we are ashamed to say, our knowledge of the history
+of Greece and the stories of its heroes is extremely limited. I am
+indeed grateful and trust that you will be patient with our ignorance."
+
+[Illustration: THE FRONT OF THE STAGE CARVED WITH GROTESQUE FIGURES.]
+
+After walking through the small museum on the Acropolis where a number
+of interesting relics are on exhibition, we lingered awhile on a little
+platform at the northeast corner of the Acropolis from which an
+excellent view of the city may be obtained. As seen from this view-point
+the predominating color of the city is yellow. The buildings erected of
+stone, and plastered or frescoed, are white, or yellow, or light pink,
+or combinations of yellow and white, and the roofs appear to be covered
+with yellow tiles. Below us to the right we saw the ruined columns of
+the Temple of Jupiter, and the white palace and the royal gardens of the
+king. Across the valley beyond the city we could see the prominent steep
+rock named Lycabettus with the chapel of St. George on the summit, and
+ten miles away we could make out dimly Mt. Pentelicus, from which all
+the white marble for the temples was quarried, and Mt. Hymettus, in a
+region noted for the excellent quality of its honey.
+
+Descending from the heights of the Acropolis we entered the ruins of the
+Odeon of Herodus Atticus which lay at the base of the Acropolis. This
+theatre had a stone floor, a stone stage, and tiers of stone seats
+capable of seating an audience of six thousand, and was covered with a
+cedar roof. Now the roof is completely gone and the seats are in partial
+ruin. Beyond this smaller theatre are the ruins of a larger one called
+the Theatre of Bacchus. Here the masterpieces of Eschylus, Sophocles,
+Euripides, and Aristophanes, in the golden days of Grecian glory, gave
+delight to great audiences. This theatre, accommodating thirty thousand
+spectators, contained a semi-circle of marble seats built up against the
+cliff of the Acropolis, and was open to the sky. The large stage was
+built of marble and the front of it was carved with grotesque figures.
+The lower tiers of seats nearest the stage were marble chairs reserved
+for priests and other dignitaries. The names of the men who occupied the
+chairs were carved in the marble, and some of these names are yet
+visible. While resting for a short time in these official chairs, we
+tried to imagine that we were viewing on the marble stage the
+performance of an old Greek tragedy by actors in the graceful flowing
+robes of those ancient times. A few minutes later we were grouped at the
+side of the columns which are all that remain of the glory of the Temple
+of Jupiter.
+
+[Illustration: WE DROVE AROUND THE ROYAL GARDENS.]
+
+The professor, responding to our request for information, said: "The
+Olympieum was the Temple erected in honor of Zeus, the supreme deity of
+the Greeks. As the Roman name for the supreme deity was Jupiter or Jove,
+the temple was called the Temple of Zeus by the Greeks, and the Temple
+of Jupiter by the Romans. The Athenians began the construction of the
+edifice two centuries before the birth of Christ, but the work was
+interrupted by wars and lack of funds and remained unfinished for three
+hundred years. Then the Roman Emperor Hadrian, having conquered Greece,
+completed the work and claimed for himself all the honor and glory for
+the erection of the temple. The Temple of Zeus, next to that erected to
+Diana by the Ephesians, was the largest of the temples of antiquity. It
+was built in the Corinthian style of architecture and had a triple row
+of eight columns each at the ends, and a double row of twenty columns
+each at the sides. Now you see only these fifteen huge columns
+remaining. In the interior of the temple was a colossal statue of
+Jupiter overlaid with ivory and gold. Beside the statue of the god stood
+a companion figure of equal size representing the Emperor Hadrian. The
+grounds around the temple were filled by Hadrian with hundreds of
+statues, many of which represented himself."
+
+Carriages which had been ordered by the managers of the excursion
+awaited here to take us rapidly to other points of interest. As we
+crossed a bridge over a little stream on our way to the Stadium, the
+guide said: "This river appears small, perhaps, in your eyes, but it is
+great in the history and legends of Greece. It is the river Ilissus."
+
+"The Stadium," said the professor as we entered the structure, "is the
+immense athletic field of Athens. It was constructed about the year 350
+B.C. Five hundred years later the sixty tiers of seats capable of
+seating fifty thousand spectators were covered with white marble.
+Centuries afterwards in evil times athletic sports were neglected, the
+place fell into disuse, and the marble was converted into lime. In
+modern times the Stadium has been restored, perhaps not so large as
+before, and again the tiers of seats have been covered with white
+marble. In international athletic contests held in the restored Stadium,
+Americans have competed successfully for the laurel crown."
+
+[Illustration: THE TIERS OF SEATS HAVE BEEN COVERED WITH WHITE MARBLE.]
+
+Leaving the Stadium, we drove around the Royal Gardens through streets
+shaded by graceful pepper trees, caught glimpses of palms, orange, and
+ornamental trees within the gardens, and stopped a few minutes in front
+of the extensive white marble palace of the king. As we passed through
+the residential portion of the city we were impressed with the
+cleanliness of the well swept streets and with the purity of the soft
+creamy yellow and pink colorings of the buildings. Fortunately we saw no
+great manufacturing establishments belching forth volumes of blackening
+smoke to soil these delicate shades.
+
+We halted before the University, a majestic building occupying a block
+on a wide boulevard, and before the Academy of Science, another large
+white marble edifice adjoining the University, a building much more
+elaborate than its neighbor, with Ionic porticoes, a facade enlivened by
+bright coloring and gilding, and pediments adorned with statues.
+
+[Illustration: GREEK CHILDREN WERE GROUPED AROUND A PUNCH AND JUDY
+SHOW.]
+
+"What odd-looking costumes those men wear. They look like ballet girls
+arrayed for the stage," said one of the ladies in our carriage, pointing
+to a group on the sidewalk. The men wore tights, low shoes with pompons
+on the toes, black garters with tassels, blue jackets ornamented with
+many brass buttons, red skull caps with large black tassels, and very
+full skirts. The guide said that these men were soldiers of the king's
+guard and though their uniforms might appear peculiar to our eyes they
+did not seem more strange than the tartans of Scotch Highlanders were to
+the Greeks. The king's guard, he told us, is composed of men from the
+mountain regions of Greece, who dress in the ancient military costume of
+that section. The uniforms of the regular Greek soldiers are very
+similar to those worn by the soldiers of our own country. The officers
+we met were handsome men and especially well uniformed. The well-to-do
+and middle class Athenian people whom we saw on the streets were dressed
+in modern English style.
+
+[Illustration: BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY, A MAJESTIC BUILDING.]
+
+The National Archaeological Museum has a valuable collection of
+antiquities that would require much time for examination. Perhaps the
+most interesting to us were the old tombs from Mycenae with their
+resurrected contents of skeletons, gold masques, ornaments, and weapons;
+the reduced copy of the gold and ivory statue of Athena Parthenos; the
+marble figure of a man in stooping position lately found in the sea; the
+statue of the god Hermes; and the large and beautiful vases recovered
+from the excavations. On the vases scenes of ancient Greek life or
+legend were represented.
+
+"It was a pastoral scene of love-making carved on a Grecian vase that
+inspired the poet Keats to write his noted poem, 'Ode on a Grecian
+Urn,'" said one of our friends. "Let me tell you my favorite stanza,"
+and, with an eloquence that brought out their meaning, she repeated the
+beautiful lines:
+
+    Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
+      Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
+    Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
+      Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
+    Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
+      Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
+    Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
+      Though winning near the goal--yet, do not grieve;
+    She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
+      Forever wilt thou love, and she be fair!
+
+On both days while in Athens we lunched at one of the hotels facing
+Constitution Square and ate of the delicious honey from Mt. Hymettus,
+returning to the Moltke in the harbor in time to have a late dinner and
+to spend the night. In the public park in front of the hotel the trees
+were laden with oranges. Beyond the park through the green foliage could
+be seen the white palace of the king.
+
+While rambling through the streets we saw a funeral procession. First
+came many banners and symbols of the Greek Church, carried by church
+officials; then followed the casket borne by men, the casket open and
+the pale face of the dead exposed to the gaze of the onlookers; a man
+came next carrying the lid of the coffin filled with flowers; then
+priests in black robes, men and women in black, and girls in white
+holding wreaths and flowers. The people along the way removed their hats
+and crossed themselves, muttering prayers as the procession passed by.
+
+The modern religion of Greece is that of the Greek church, a religion of
+many ceremonies. The priests, long-haired, heavy-bearded men, wear long
+flowing black robes and black hats resembling our silk dress hats turned
+upside down with the brim at the top. They, the guide informed us, are
+men of influence; their hands are kissed by their people; their advice
+is sought, and their opinions received with deference by the members of
+their church.
+
+The stores for the sale of candles to be burned on ceremonial occasions
+made an interesting display. There were candles of all sizes, ranging
+from six feet in height, beautifully decorated, which only the wealthy
+could afford, down to the small unadorned dip that the smallest coin
+might purchase.
+
+"These candles," said the guide while we were pricing some of the
+decorated ones, "are used for the rejoicings at baptisms, at the
+festivities on wedding occasions, and for lightening the gloom around
+the caskets of the dead. They are given as penance to the church, or as
+votive offerings to brighten the altars of the Virgin or patron saints."
+
+Eikons, the sacred memorials which the Greek Christians hang in their
+homes, representing the Virgin Mary holding the infant Christ in her
+arms, were also for sale in great numbers. Some of these were merely
+painted boards or silvered or gilded metal; others were of expensive
+material, incrusted with jewels. In all the Eikons, either cheap or
+dear, the painted faces and heads of the Virgin and child were visible
+through openings in the metal or board.
+
+"At Easter time," said one of the dealers in ecclesiastical wares, "we
+sell thousands of candles for the great midnight celebration of the
+lighting of the candles. Just as the Easter day is ushered in, the
+Patriarch from his platform makes the announcement, 'Christ is risen.'
+The people repeat it over and over, the candles are lighted, then raised
+and lowered three times in honor of the Trinity, and we return to our
+homes to break the three days' fast by a feast of rejoicing."
+
+[Illustration: AND BLUE JACKET ORNAMENTED WITH MANY BRASS BUTTONS.]
+
+When returning from the wharf to the steamer in the evening some of the
+tourists were conveyed in a tug and others in row boats. The oarsmen to
+save the labor of rowing cast their lines to the tug and the dancing of
+the little boats on the waves as they were drawn swiftly down the bay in
+the wake of the larger craft caused some anxiety on the part of the more
+timid of the occupants.
+
+[Illustration: SOME IN A TUG AND OTHERS IN ROWBOATS.]
+
+On the evening of Tuesday, the twenty-fourth of February, just as the
+silver-toned bells on the Russian warships were telling the hour of
+five, the anchor of the Moltke was drawn up and the vessel almost
+imperceptibly moved around and headed for the narrow outlet between the
+breakwaters. As we slowly steamed away from the Russian vessels, our
+band played the Russian national hymn and the Russian flag was elevated
+to the top of the Moltke's mast in a farewell salutation. Immediately
+the crowds of Russian sailors on the warships removed their hats and
+remained bareheaded until the music ceased. Then, in response, the
+Russian band played our national hymn, and as we sailed away, the
+strains of the music became fainter and fainter until they died away in
+the distance.
+
+Looking backward after leaving the harbor we saw clearly defined, in the
+golden evening light, the towering Acropolis and the Parthenon crowning
+its summit, and, as we sailed away from the city which was once the
+centre of culture, refinement, and wealth, we tried to recall the
+stories of her glorious past. The figures of legend, myth, and
+history,--mighty warriors, celebrated heroes, eloquent orators,
+illustrious painters, renowned architects, great historians, immortal
+poets, and wonderful deities; Spartan mothers, Thermopylae defenders, and
+Persian invaders; beautiful Helen, muscular Hercules, crusty Diogenes,
+deformed AEsop, silver-tongued Demosthenes, fleet-footed Mercury, drunken
+Silenus, stately Juno, and lovely Venus,--a confused procession of
+mortals and immortals rushed across the brain.
+
+"Look," said the professor with note book in hand interrupting our
+dreams of the past, "that strait to the left behind us is the entrance
+to the bay of Salamis where the Persian fleet of one thousand sail
+encountered the smaller fleet of only three hundred Grecian vessels in
+the year 480 B.C. The rocky brow of the hill on the farther side of the
+strait is the place where the haughty Xerxes sat in his silver-footed
+chair to gloat over the expected annihilation of Greek power. I want to
+read to you, before we go to our evening meal, the vivid description of
+the conflict from the tragedy of 'The Persians.' It was written by the
+poet Eschylus, who himself was one of the heroes in the fight."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+CONSTANTINOPLE AND SANTA SOPHIA.
+
+
+On Wednesday morning, February twenty-fifth, the ladies donned winter
+wraps and the gentlemen heavy overcoats for their morning promenades on
+deck. All night the Moltke had steamed northward and the region of palms
+and orange trees had been left behind. By referring to the large atlas
+of the world in the library, we found that we were in the same latitude
+as that of New York City.
+
+As we approached the entrance to the Strait of Dardanelles, the ancient
+Hellespont, which connects the AEgean Sea with the Sea of Marmora, the
+Turkish fortifications crowning the hills on both sides of the channel
+were plainly visible. Under the great guns of the fortresses the Moltke
+anchored.
+
+"Why do we stop here?" inquired one of the tourists of the surgeon, who
+was standing near watching the shore.
+
+"This is the quarantine station," replied the doctor, "and we must wait
+here for the official inspection. According to Turkish regulations, the
+passage of foreign warships through the Dardanelles is absolutely
+prohibited at any time and merchant vessels are not allowed to enter
+during the night. Every vessel arriving here must undergo inspection
+before receiving a permit to proceed. The Sultan guards this gateway to
+the most vulnerable part of his dominion, not only to prevent the
+entrance of a hostile fleet, but to protect his people from the
+incursions of that insidious foe, the plague, which sometimes ravages
+the Eastern countries. There come the officials now in response to our
+signals," he added as a yacht steamed out from the shore. "I must go
+with the captain to welcome them at the head of the gangway."
+
+[Illustration: I. WITHIN SIGHT OF DOMES AND MINARETS.]
+
+[Illustration: II. FAMOUS ST. SOPHIA HAS FOUR MINARETS.]
+
+The Turkish quarantine physician in red fez and handsome fur overcoat,
+accompanied by his assistants and the inspector, came on board. Madam
+Rumor whispers that a good sized tip sometimes obviates tedious personal
+examinations and insures prompt issuance of a clean bill of health
+without exasperating delays. However it was, the quarantine physician,
+after consulting with the ship physician, quickly found the health
+conditions satisfactory, and the inspector of cargoes granted his
+permit. The pilot who was to guide the vessel through the swiftly
+flowing current of the Hellespont joined us here, and with him came the
+dragoman or chief guide who had been engaged by the managers to take
+special charge of the sight-seeing excursions of our party while in
+Constantinople.
+
+Proceeding slowly on our way, we noticed half a dozen Turkish warships
+lying in the stream near by. One who claimed to know said that the
+Turkish naval vessels had been gathering barnacles and mussels for four
+years and were unfit for active service. But the fortresses guarding the
+strait, he said, were in excellent condition and well equipped with
+batteries of modern make.
+
+The Strait of Dardanelles, for a distance of forty miles separating the
+continent of Asia from that of Europe, varies in width, narrowing to
+less than one mile at some places and broadening out to four miles at
+others. By referring to the steamer's atlas, consulting guide books,
+exchanging historical knowledge, and questioning good-natured officials,
+the tourists obtained information about the various points of interest
+that they were passing. Beyond the entrance, at the narrowest point of
+the strait, the place was pointed out where the Persian king Xerxes with
+his vast army crossed the channel on a bridge of boats for the invasion
+of Europe in the year 480 B.C.
+
+"Little then," remarked a tourist, "did that imperious invader dream
+that within a year, in humiliation and defeat, and with only a poor
+remnant of that great army, he would recross that strait to Asia again."
+
+At the same place in the channel, we were informed, Alexander the Great
+with his Greek legions crossed from Europe in the year 334 B.C. and
+continued his victorious march until all the then known portion of Asia
+was subdued to his rule.
+
+"Then," said another tourist, "when flushed with victory, he wept for
+other worlds to conquer. To me the saddest part of Alexander's history
+is that he was himself conquered by his own appetite and never returned
+to his native shore."
+
+Another tragic tale connected with that place is the story of Hero and
+Leander. Across that mile of swiftly flowing current, the story says,
+Leander nightly swam from Abydos to the tower on the opposite shore to
+visit his beloved Hero, the priestess of Venus. In one of his nightly
+excursions the swimmer was drowned in a storm, and Hero, after hearing
+of Leander's death, despairingly threw herself into the sea to share his
+sad fate.
+
+"There is the height from which Hero cast herself," said an official,
+"and this is the place where Lord Byron, in emulation of Leander,
+performed the same difficult feat of swimming the channel."
+
+To the right, on the Asian shore not far away, was the plain of Troy
+where Dr. Schlieman won fame by making the excavations and discoveries
+which led to the location of the lost city of Troy. In this ancient city
+of Troy, according to Homer, the beautiful Grecian princess Helen,
+abducted by Paris, the son of the King of Troy, was detained for ten
+years. The enraged Greeks under Ulysses and Ajax, seeking to rescue the
+princess, besieged the city and finally succeeded in entering its gates
+and accomplishing their purpose by means of the stratagem of a huge
+wooden horse.
+
+After sailing through the length of the Sea of Marmora, about one
+hundred and ten miles, we arrived at five o'clock in the evening within
+sight of the domes and minarets that crown the promontory at the
+entrance to the Strait of Bosporus. From the time we caught our first
+glimpse of a distant minaret, until the anchor of our steamer was
+dropped in the channel, every tourist was intent on the picturesque
+views which presented themselves. While the Moltke was steadily moving
+onward and our point of view continually changing, the dragoman at
+intervals pointed out the various places of interest, now on one side,
+now on the other.
+
+[Illustration: IS CALLED SERAGLIO POINT.]
+
+"The Strait of Bosporus, which we are now approaching, is here a little
+over a mile in width," said he. "The part of the city you see on the
+headland on the north shore of the Strait is the oldest part of
+Constantinople, and is called Stamboul. It is occupied principally by
+Turks, Greeks, Armenians, and Jews. The most celebrated mosques, and
+also the great bazaars in which tourists delight to wander, are in
+Stamboul."
+
+"That dome with six minarets surrounding it, partially hidden by the
+intervening trees and buildings, is the Mosque of Ahmed, one of the most
+interesting in the city. Beyond it you can see the dome and four
+minarets of the more famous St. Sophia. The name of this is probably
+familiar to you, for almost every visitor whom I have escorted has told
+me that he had heard of the Mosque of St. Sophia."
+
+"And that is Scutari," he continued, calling our attention to the city
+on the Asiatic shore of the strait. "The great square yellow building so
+prominent on that side is the military barracks. The large structure
+nearer us is the military hospital where the English lady nursed the
+soldiers during the war with Russia fifty years ago. Perhaps you have
+heard of the lady?"
+
+We informed the dragoman that the noble work of Florence Nightingale
+during the Crimean war was well known to the American people, and her
+name held in high honor by them.
+
+"The point beyond us on the left," said the guide a few minutes later,
+"is called Seraglio Point. The portion of the city on the promontory,
+extending along the Bosporus, is about one mile in length and half a
+mile in width and is called the Seraglio. In these extensive grounds
+are the well guarded Treasury buildings containing the accumulated
+treasures of centuries, the Imperial Museum of Antiquities, and many
+other public edifices. There also are the palaces, kiosks, and gardens,
+which were occupied by the Sultans and their families until the present
+Sultan changed his residence to another part of the city.
+
+"The stream of water to our left," he added as our steamer rounded
+Seraglio Point, "is called the Golden Horn, so named on account of its
+curved shape. This inlet of the Bosporus, not over one-third of a mile
+in width, separates the older Stamboul from old Galata and newer Pera.
+Over the two bridges across this inlet streams of people pass
+constantly. Galata is the business section of the city which includes
+the wharves, steamship offices, and wholesale establishments. Pera,
+situated on the heights above Galata, contains the residences of the
+wealthier class, as well as hotels, modern stores, and the residences of
+the ambassadors and consuls."
+
+After passing the mouth of the Golden Horn, the Moltke slackened speed
+and anchored in the Bosporus apposite Galata, a little way from the
+shore. Prominent on the shore at the water's edge, not far from our
+anchorage, stood a small but beautiful white mosque with delicate
+minarets, and just beyond it a snow white palace of magnificent size.
+
+"The white marble building that you see extending for some distance
+along the Bosporus," said the guide, "is the Dolmah Bagcheh Palace of
+the Sultan, one of the magnificent palaces which he does not occupy.
+Once or twice a year he holds a reception there. In the distance along
+the water is the Cheraghan Palace where the imprisoned ex-Sultan Murad,
+the elder brother of the present Sultan, for many years had every luxury
+but liberty. And on the heights just beyond those grounds is Yildiz
+Kiosk, the palace where now lives the present ruler of Turkey, his
+Imperial Majesty, Sultan Abdul Hamid. Strangers are not permitted to
+enter its gates, but we have obtained his Imperial Majesty's permission
+to take your party through the Dolmah Bagcheh Palace."
+
+[Illustration: THE BREAD DEALERS CONSENTED TO BE KODAKED.]
+
+Our steamer had barely anchored when a steam yacht flying the emblem of
+Turkey, a red flag with a white crescent and star, appeared alongside.
+Several red-fezzed Turkish officials, on whose green frock coats dangled
+medals and badges, mounted the stairway to receive the report of the
+vessel and examine and vise the passports of the passengers. The
+stewards collected the passports and handed them to the Sultan's
+officers, who afterwards returned them stamped in queer-looking
+characters with the official seal of the Turkish government.
+
+"Captain, can you not send us ashore?" requested some of the tourists
+after the evening dinner was over.
+
+"I would gladly send you ashore if I considered it safe for you to go,"
+replied the Captain, "but I advise you to remain on board. There is
+little to be seen after sunset in this unlighted city. Although the
+principal streets are lighted with gas, many of the streets depend upon
+the moon and stars and so on cloudy nights are left in utter darkness.
+Strangers may with safety wander around the city during the day, but it
+is dangerous for them to do so at night. The lower part of the city
+along the wharves is infested with thieves who have little regard for
+the life of an infidel, and who under cover of darkness would cut one's
+throat and cast the body into the stream in order to secure a few
+valuables."
+
+The Captain's advice was taken and the evening was delightfully spent on
+the vessel. The American Consul and his wife came on board to meet some
+friends and to welcome all the Americans. Then, according to a plan
+which had been made by the managers of the tour, a resident of the city
+delivered an instructive address on the history of Constantinople. The
+lecturer told of Constantine the Great, first Christian emperor and
+founder of the city; of Justinian, the imperial legislator and builder,
+and his empress Theodora, the beautiful comedian who became a queen; of
+the heroic warrior Belisarius and his emperor's ingratitude; of the
+Greek girl Irene who rose to supreme power; of the bloody religious
+riots and theological disputes; of the Nicene Council and adoption of
+the Nicene creed; and of the pillage of Constantinople by the ruthless
+Crusaders. He told also of the marriage ceremonies, of the art and
+commerce, and of the places of interest about the city. His remarks
+about the former trade and literature of the city were most interesting.
+
+"During the earlier centuries of the Eastern Roman Empire," said the
+lecturer, "Constantinople, the capital, was a great centre of trade, an
+exchange market for the products of the world. Caravans brought the
+treasures of the East to the storehouses here to be bartered for the
+cargoes of produce which came in ships from the West. This exchange
+brought wealth and prosperity to the city. In later centuries the
+Venetians and Genoese succeeded in transferring much of this business to
+Venice and Genoa and the trade of Constantinople declined. In modern
+days steamships and the Suez canal have completely changed the route of
+commerce.
+
+"Constantinople, not only was a centre of trade, but in the Twelfth and
+Thirteenth centuries it was the centre of literature. During the dark
+ages, when the study of literature was generally neglected in other
+places, the lamp of learning burned brightly in this city. Libraries
+were established and manuscripts accumulated; but at the time of the
+Turkish invasion a multitude of the most valuable documents were
+destroyed. When the Renaissance brought new life to the western shores,
+the centre of literature moved to Italy, and printed books took the
+place of manuscripts."
+
+[Illustration: OUR CARRIAGES RATTLED OVER THE PLANK BRIDGE.]
+
+When we thought of the present standing of Turkey among the nations of
+the world, it was difficult to realize that for centuries Constantinople
+was the commercial centre and the brilliant capital of the world. It was
+even more difficult to realize that the country which now prohibits the
+importation of foreign books and papers was at one time the patron of
+art, literature, and learning, the collector of great libraries of
+illuminated manuscripts, theological discourses, and legal documents.
+But that was centuries ago.
+
+Thursday morning ushered in a bright, clear, cool day. We were up early,
+eager for sight-seeing, and little boats soon carried us to the custom
+house pier on the Galata side. Open carriages drawn by wiry Turkish
+horses and driven by Turkish drivers were there in readiness to carry us
+across the Golden Horn to explore the sights of Stamboul. As our
+carriages rattled over the plank pontoon bridge with its drawbridge in
+the center, we passed through a crowd of people more varied as to
+nationality and costume than can be seen at almost any other place on
+the globe. The Turks, of course, predominated, their nationality being
+indicated by the national head-gear,--the red fez. The wealthier Turks
+wore the English style of clothing and the red fez. The costumes of the
+other classes varied according to their occupation. On the bridge as
+our driver guided his team through the throng, we saw Turkish soldiers
+in blue uniforms and red fez; Moslems wearing a green sash around the
+fez to indicate that they had performed a pilgrimage to Mecca;
+stately-looking bearded Greek priests in black robes and peculiar hats;
+Nubians with black glistening skins and tattooed faces; Moslem priests
+with pure white turbans, and Moslem priests with high green turbans;
+Russian or Hungarian peasants with coats of sheep skin, the fleecy sides
+of which were turned inward; Dervishes in brown mantles, and high-coned
+brown hats without brims; Hebrews in long yellow coats and little curls
+at the sides of their heads; Turks in gold embroidered trousers and
+jackets and long flowing blue sleeves; Turkish women with faces closely
+veiled, and negro women who concealed their features behind white veils
+in the same manner as the Turkish women.
+
+[Illustration: A STRUCTURE DIFFERING IN DESIGN FROM ANY OTHER CHRISTIAN
+TEMPLE.]
+
+"Those cakes looked so good, I was almost tempted to take one off the
+tray," said one of the occupants of our carriage, as a peddler carrying
+on his head a table filled with cakes and pastry passed so closely that
+his wares were within reach.
+
+"Oh, how could you think of doing such a thing," hastily exclaimed her
+companion, horrified at the thought, "we should all be placed in a
+dungeon and our pleasure ended."
+
+Peddlers of dates, bearing their stock of fruit in huge baskets on their
+backs and carrying scales in one hand, held up a sample of dates towards
+us with the other hand; dealers in nuts in the same manner carried and
+offered their wares to the passers-by; peddlers of "Turkish delight" and
+other sweetmeats arranged the candies on their trays in an attractive
+manner; and the sherbet sellers called attention to the pink liquid in
+large glass bottles suspended on their backs. At each end of the bridge
+were half a dozen toll collectors in long white overshirts who stood in
+line across the way collecting the toll of ten paras, or one cent, from
+each person that crossed.
+
+"How clearly that dome and the two minarets stand out against the
+sky," exclaimed one of the party, pointing to a great dome and two
+delicate minarets with tapering peaks which rose above the buildings
+directly in front of us on the other side of the bridge.
+
+[Illustration: THIS STREAM FLOWING INTO THE BOSPORUS IS CALLED THE
+GOLDEN HORN.]
+
+"That is the Mosque where the Sultans and their families went to prayer
+when they resided in the Seraglio near by. We will not stop at this
+Mosque but will go directly to the Mosque of St. Sophia."
+
+"Professor," said the lady who in Athens had confessed her ignorance of
+history, "please give us some information about the church of St. Sophia
+while we are grouped here together in front of the building."
+
+The professor expressed his willingness to do so, provided we were
+willing to take the time to listen.
+
+"In the year 532 A.D.," said he, "Justinian, the Emperor of the Eastern
+Roman Empire, decided to erect in Constantinople a church that should be
+a glory to the city and an honor to his name. His desire was to build
+one 'such as since Adam has never been seen,' a structure differing in
+design from any Christian temple previously constructed and surpassing
+in magnificence any temple that afterwards might be built. The empire
+was then at the height of its power and glory, and Justinian, in
+emulation of Solomon, made demands on all the countries under his
+dominion for contributions of ivory, cedar, gold, silver, precious
+stones, and the rarest marbles.
+
+"In order to attain his ambitious design, the monarch robbed the Temple
+of the Sun at Baalbek of columns of porphyry, despoiled the Temple of
+Diana of Ephesus of its finest pillars, took columns of pure white
+marble from the Temple of Minerva at Athens, and divested the shrines
+of Isis and Osiris in Egypt of their choicest granite columns. He called
+upon the quarries of Italy, Greece, and the AEgean Isles for marbles of
+every hue produced by them, so that, when completed, the temple should
+contain the most beautiful marbles the world could yield, and these he
+ordered to be highly polished and artistically arranged. To hasten the
+construction, ten thousand workmen under the direction of one hundred
+architects were employed, and in less than six years the immense
+structure, 'the great Church of Santa Sophia, or Heavenly Wisdom,' one
+of the most famous churches of the world, was ready for dedication.
+
+"The great altar was built of silver and gold, the seven chairs of the
+bishops were plated with silver, the crosses and crucifixes were
+composed of pure gold, and the altar cloth and vestments were encrusted
+with precious stones. Jeweled images of saints, sacred paintings of
+fabulous value, and holy relics to be adored by kneeling worshipers,
+were arranged around the walls of the building. The huge doors of the
+temple were made of cedar, ivory, amber, and silver; the ceiling
+glistened with golden mosaics; the walls shone with polished marbles:
+and the capitals of the columns were laced with delicate carvings inset
+with mother-of-pearl, silver, and precious stones.
+
+"On the day of the dedication of the temple a jubilant procession of
+patriarchs, bishops, priests, and people, in admiring wonder, entered
+the completed building with songs and rejoicings. The Emperor, at the
+head of the procession, overcome with pride and joy in the glorious
+consummation of his purpose, threw himself upon the floor and
+exultingly exclaimed: 'Glory to God who has deemed me worthy to
+accomplish so great a work. O Solomon, I have surpassed thee!'
+
+"In this sanctuary for over nine centuries the people worshiped God
+according to the Christian faith in great pomp and with much ceremony.
+The bishops officiated at the golden altar reading from golden lettered
+manuscripts, and were assisted in the service by scores of richly robed
+priests and hundreds of selected musicians, while the air was filled
+with the fragrance of rising incense. But during the latter part of the
+Middle Ages while the power and glory of the Roman Empire was gradually
+declining, the rival Mohammedan Turkish Empire in Asia was rapidly
+ascending to a dominant position. Finally, in the year 1453 A.D., the
+Sultan of Asiatic Turkey, Muhammed II, determined to obtain possession
+of Constantinople and make the city the capital of his empire. His army
+besieged the decadent city and captured it after a struggle of
+fifty-three days. When the Turkish troops entered in triumph they tore
+the emblems of Christianity from their places and, instead of the cross
+of the Christian, they raised the crescent of the Moslem.
+
+"In the church of St. Sophia the conquerors tore down the golden altar,
+melted the silver plates, removed the images of saints, painted over the
+sacred pictures, and took away the jewels and precious stones, changing
+the interior to suit the simpler worship of the followers of Mahomet.
+The name of the building was changed and it was thereafter known as the
+Mosque of Saint Sophia. For four hundred and fifty years the Mosque has
+been in possession of the Turks. Its doors are open at all times for
+Moslems to enter freely; but the entrance is carefully guarded to keep
+Christian or foreign visitors from intruding. The latter, however, may
+gain admission by paying an entrance fee of forty cents, and removing
+their shoes at the door or lacing over their shoes the loose slippers
+that are provided for this purpose."
+
+[Illustration: THREE MEN RAISED THE BURDEN TO HIS SHOULDERS.]
+
+On the porch of the Mosque we put our feet into the loose slippers, a
+Moslem attendant tied them on as carefully as the clumsy things could be
+tied, and then, accompanied by him, we entered the building. The immense
+floor, an acre in size, was covered with handsome heavy rugs. As we
+slid, rather than walked, over the soft Turkish carpets, our turbaned
+guide, with sharp, piercing, black eyes, watched carefully to see that
+our slippers did not become unfastened and drop off, and our infidel
+shoes profane the holy enclosure. And when one of the visitors laughed
+within the sacred edifice, the attendant's black eyes flashed with
+anger.
+
+It was not the regular hour for prayer in the mosque, but a number of
+worshipers were devoutly kneeling at different places in the interior,
+with faces turned toward a black stone in the south wall, which
+indicated the direction of the holy city of Mecca. Others, squatting on
+their bare heels, were reading or reciting in monotonous tones parts of
+the Koran. There are no benches or chairs in the building; Moslem
+worshipers do not require seats while at their devotions. The great
+dome, over one hundred feet in width, rises in grandeur one hundred and
+eighty feet overhead, supported by four huge columns each seventy feet
+in circumference. A circle of windows, forty-four in number, around the
+dome illumines the golden mosaics which cover the ceiling. A mosaic
+picture in the dome representing the Almighty, has been obliterated by
+the Turks and covered with green linen cloth. A verse from the Koran, in
+gilt Arabic characters almost thirty feet long, is painted on this
+cloth. The sentence, as translated, begins: "God is the light of
+heaven and earth," and ends, "God alone sheddeth His light on whomsoever
+He pleaseth."
+
+[Illustration: THROUGH THE NARROW STREETS OF THE CITY.]
+
+"If the Moslems believe in the Bible and in God as a supreme being, why
+did they destroy the mosaic representation of God on the ceiling?"
+inquired one of the visitors.
+
+"The Moslems do believe in the Bible and in one Supreme God," was the
+reply, "and it was this very belief that led them to paint out the
+picture of God and to destroy all the images and paintings of saints;
+for God's command is: 'Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
+or any likeness of anything that is in the heaven above, or that is in
+the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt
+not bow down thyself to them.'"
+
+"The Moslems," continued the guide, "regard Mahomet as the Prophet of
+God, and the Koran as written by him under the inspiration of God; but
+they do not worship Mahomet or any image or picture of him."
+
+We paused to admire the four green marble columns taken from the Temple
+of Diana, and the polished shafts brought from the Temple of the Sun,
+relics of those two magnificent cities, Ephesus and Baalbek, of whose
+grandeur nothing now remains but broken stones. We gazed upward at the
+eight immense green shields covered with Arabic characters, high above
+our heads on the walls. But we doubted the miraculous healing power of a
+small hole that is always damp in a bronze-covered pillar, and hesitated
+also to accept the tradition that the apparent imprint of a bloody hand
+in the marble wall was made by the Sultan Muhammed II when he rode into
+St. Sophia after the capture of the city.
+
+"On Fridays," said the guide, as we stood at the foot of the marble
+steps that led to the elevated pulpit, "the priest, clad in a long red
+robe, reads a prayer for the Sultan, and, while doing so, holds in one
+hand the Koran and in the other a drawn sword to indicate that this
+temple was captured from the Christians by force."
+
+"That prayer rug," he continued pointing to a beautiful carpet hanging
+on the wall near by, "was the personal prayer rug of the great conqueror
+Muhammed II. There is so much more to be seen," he added, "that we could
+spend the whole day here, but the dragoman is beckoning and we must go
+on."
+
+We shook the slippers from our feet in the porch and were driven through
+narrow streets to the Grand Bazaar.
+
+"The Grand Bazaar," said the guide, "covers several acres. It has one
+hundred entrances. There are twelve hundred narrow streets or passages
+under roof within the bazaar and on these streets are four thousand
+little shops."
+
+The Grand Bazaar, we decided, was the enormous department store of
+Stamboul; but we noticed that each little shop had its own proprietor.
+To many of the visitors, this Bazaar was the most interesting place in
+Constantinople; for here were found the most tempting bargains in
+Oriental wares, in its narrow passages were seen the native people in
+their most picturesque costumes, and in its maze of dimly lighted
+corridors some tourists were lost for awhile and met with novel
+adventures.
+
+The store of Far-Away-Moses was one of the largest and most popular of
+the shops in the Bazaar and that genial trader did a thriving business.
+There seemed to be a magnetic power that drew the guides in the
+direction of certain shops, an unseen influence that urged them to
+recommend certain places, and one of these places was Moses' emporium.
+Some of the ladies found that when they slipped away and entered a shop
+without a guide a better bargain could be secured.
+
+The price named for articles in the bazaar shops by the fezzed or
+turbaned dealers was generally three times the price that they would
+accept before losing a sale; but much tact was required on the part of
+the purchaser, and much valuable time was occupied in the diplomatic
+struggles between the acute Yankees and clever Moslems. When, however,
+the battle was won and the desired article secured at one-half or
+one-third the price at first demanded, the joy of the purchaser was
+doubled. The person, who, after an hour's dickering, bought a bronze
+ornament for twenty piasters, or one dollar of American money, was just
+as happy over the bargain as the one who succeeded in purchasing a
+magnificent silk rug for twenty thousand piasters. The money drawers of
+the Moslem traders were swollen with their contents but their shelves
+were less crowded when the Americans left the bazaar.
+
+When we returned to the vessel we found that during our absence the
+decks had been converted into a rival bazaar. The tourists who had
+failed to obtain souvenirs had another opportunity to buy them; for here
+were displayed silk rugs ranging in price from three thousand piasters
+downward, exquisite embroideries, rare silks, delicate fans, gold-laced
+shawls, fragrant attar of roses, and a multitude of articles in bronze,
+silver, and gold.
+
+"How restful it is to recline lazily in our comfortable steamer chairs
+rolled up in a rug, dreaming or talking over the events of the day,
+without any cares or worries to disturb our thoughts," remarked one of
+our friends as we sat upon the deck in the later evening hours watching
+the glimmering lights on the shore.
+
+"Yes," said another, "there seems to be nothing to disturb the serenity
+of the night; even the distant barking of the dogs appears to be in
+harmony with the soft lapping of the waves against the vessel. I feel
+that I shall rest to-night in my berth, as Shakespeare says, in a 'sleep
+that knits the ravel'd sleeve of care,' after the exertion of a full day
+of sight-seeing."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+THE SELAMLIK AND THE TREASURY.
+
+
+One dark night in the faraway past, so the story runs, the barking of
+dogs in the outskirts of Constantinople wakened the sleeping garrison in
+the city, warning them of the approach of a crafty foe who sought to
+surprise and capture the place. At the same time, the young moon, coming
+out from under a cloud, revealed the position of the enemy. The barking
+of the dogs and the light of the crescent moon enabled the garrison to
+frustrate the designs of their foes and save the capital from capture.
+Since then the nightly howlings of the dogs have been tolerated by the
+Turkish people and the crescent has had a place of honor on the Turkish
+banner. To kill a dog is an unpardonable offense. The dogs, however, are
+not well fed, well groomed pets, fondled, kissed, collared, and
+blanketed, as in some other countries; but are ownerless, homeless
+creatures roaming at night in great numbers through the streets and
+sleeping by day on the thoroughfares and sidewalks regardless of
+passers-by. The people step over or go around the sleeping animals and
+do not disturb them. The dogs seem to know their privileges, for they
+will not move out of the way.
+
+The city is noted for its dogs, not on account of their beauty or breed,
+for they are a disreputable lot of mongrel curs and bear the marks of
+many nightly brawls, but on account of the legions of them and their
+usefulness as scavengers. At nightfall the residents of Stamboul empty
+their garbage cans in the streets and the dogs, howling and fighting,
+dispose of every scrap before daylight. When a Turk desires to express
+the utmost contempt for a person he calls him a dog.
+
+[Illustration: THE DOG FIGHT HAD JUST ENDED.]
+
+"If you wish to avoid trouble while in this city," cautioned the
+dragoman, "neither disturb a sleeping dog in the highways,--for the dog
+will resent the interference with his slumbers,--nor call a Turk a dog,
+for the anger of a Turk thus reviled is uncontrollable until the
+offender who called him by that vilest of epithets is severely
+punished."
+
+A drive of one and a half miles along the Grand Rue de Galata, one of
+the wider thoroughfares in Galata parallel to the Bosporus, carried the
+tourists from the custom house pier to the gates of the Dolmah Bagcheh
+Palace. The entrance to the grounds of the palace is through a gateway
+of marble, beautiful in design and richly ornamented with elaborate
+Corinthian columns and delicate carvings of garlands, wreaths, and urns.
+
+While we gazed at the carvings, the officer in charge of the guard
+carefully examined our permit. Then the massive gates were swung open
+for our entrance. Within the palace we ascended a magnificent wide
+marble staircase, the balusters of which were made of clear glass. We
+admired the intricately carved alabaster bath-rooms and wondered if
+their neatness had ever been disturbed. We passed through a multitude of
+richly decorated chambers and salons where every article was arranged in
+perfect order, and walked on carpet strips laid for visitors' feet
+around the beautiful ball-room, not daring to tread on the highly
+polished hard-wood floor. Every apartment of the palace was immaculate,
+and resplendent in marble, porcelain, inlaid woods, and golden mosaics.
+The largest mirror in the world reflected the passers-by and costly
+paintings attracted the eyes of the visitors. The dark green malachite
+and the rich blue lapis lazuli harmonized pleasingly with yellow gold
+and white marble. And yet this grand show palace is unoccupied except by
+the hundreds of care-takers required to keep it in order. Its quiet is
+disturbed only by sight-seers who pay for the privilege of inspecting
+the stately apartments, and, on rare occasions, by imperial receptions
+which are held in the throne room. This immense apartment surpasses all
+the others in the elegance of its adornment. The dome overhead and the
+walls and the Corinthian columns which surround the room are richly
+decorated with oriental designs in white and gold. From the centre of
+the dome hangs a crystal chandelier noted for its size and beauty.
+
+"In this throne room," said the guide, "five thousand persons can stand.
+On the day after the close of the Fast of Ramazan, which is the first
+day of the Feast of Bairam, the Sultan drives here from Yildiz Palace,
+along a road lined with soldiers, and holds a State reception. Several
+thousand of the nobility assemble in this room and the Sultan, seated on
+that crimson and gold sofa, receives the homage of his officials. The
+generals of the army in gorgeous uniforms, the heads of the religious
+orders, holy men, and state officials approach according to their rank
+and make their obeisance to his Imperial Majesty. They reverently kiss
+the hem of his Majesty's garment, press the hem to their foreheads as a
+seal of their declaration of loyalty to his person, and then retire
+backward from his presence. During the reception every face in the
+assembly is turned toward the Sultan. To turn one's back to his Majesty,
+even for a moment, is unpardonable. That day after Ramazan is a great
+day in the city; cannons thunder, the bands play, the mosques are
+illuminated at night, and the people feast and rejoice."
+
+[Illustration: A TEAM OF GREAT HORNED OXEN.]
+
+"What is the Fast of Ramazan and when does it occur?"
+
+"The Fast of Ramazan," replied the guide, "is kept through the whole
+month of Ramazan, which corresponds to your month of September. For
+thirty days the Moslems do not eat bread nor drink water during the
+hours between sunrise and sunset. After sunset they may refresh
+themselves. The Prophet commanded that one specially named day in the
+month of Ramazan should be kept as a fast day; but the date of that
+particular day was somehow lost, and now, in order to make sure of
+keeping the fast on the day appointed, the Moslems keep every day in
+that month as a fast day. The Feast of Bairam immediately follows the
+end of the fasting. This festival consists of three days of feasting and
+festivities."
+
+Friday is the Mohammedan Sabbath, but we could not see that it made much
+difference in the traffic of the city. We asked the guide if the Turkish
+bazaars would be closed.
+
+"No," he replied, "but more of the faithful attend mosque on Friday than
+on other days, and on Friday each week the Sultan goes to his special
+mosque with great ceremony."
+
+The Sultan's weekly visit to prayer is called the Selamlik or Sultan's
+Procession to Mosque. Our guide obtained a good position for our
+carriage in an open square near the mosque from which to see the
+procession. The parade was not to occur until one o'clock, but in order
+to secure the place we were there at eleven. The time of waiting was not
+tiresome as there was much of interest going on around us all the time.
+Carriages of other visitors assembled in the open square; cabs
+containing invited dignitaries rolled up to the ruler's palace, which
+was within sight about one block away; guards drove the crowds from the
+streets; regiments of red-fezzed infantry tramped by and formed in lines
+along the street between the palace and the mosque; mounted lancers with
+flying pennons trotted to their positions; and the bands took their
+place near the palace. Uniformed policemen and spies in plain clothes
+circulated among the carriages and sight-seers, watching closely for
+suspicious characters, and listening to remarks made by visitors. We
+were advised by our dragoman not to mention the name of the Sultan.
+
+"How the Turks do enjoy their coffee," said an occupant of our carriage,
+calling attention to a group squatting on the ground with cups in hand.
+
+Near our carriage a Turk was making coffee on a portable stove and
+selling the beverage to thirsty customers; an itinerant barber placed
+his portable stool beside our carriage wheel, opened his kit of tools
+and was soon busy lathering and shaving dusky faces; a water peddler
+with his jar on his back played a tune on tumblers by rubbing them with
+his fingers; a cake peddler's table was upset by passing dragoons and he
+mournfully picked up the fragments. The trays of the Turkish peddlers of
+candies and cakes were clean and the articles offered appeared fresh and
+appetizing. We yielded to temptation and bought some "Turkish delight"
+and some light flaky biscuit, and, after eating the dainties, wished for
+more.
+
+[Illustration: THE TIME OF WAITING WAS NOT TIRESOME.]
+
+"It is nearly one o'clock," said the guide looking at his watch.
+
+The street cleaners were hastily giving a final polish to the roadway
+over which the Sultan would drive between the lines of soldiers. A dozen
+carts filled with clean sand that had been standing near us were hurried
+up the hill and the white sand was spread over the Sultan's path. The
+bands ceased playing; the soldiers stood at attention; the Muezzin
+called to prayer; a trumpet sounded from the gates; and from the palace
+on the hill carriages emerged containing the veiled wives of the ruler
+attended by black eunuchs on horseback. A long line of military officers
+in handsome uniforms followed on foot; then a shout arose from the
+assembled troops, and a carriage appeared drawn by a very handsome pair
+of horses in gold-mounted harness. In the carriage the Sultan sat alone.
+The huzzas of the troops continued until his Majesty entered the mosque.
+Then all was silent, for the Sultan was at his prayers alone. His wives
+and his officials had been left at the entrance. No person was permitted
+to enter. The Iman, or priest in charge, and the Sultan were the only
+occupants of the mosque.
+
+Without waiting for the ruler's return the visitors hastened away, the
+carriages raising such a cloud of dust that it was difficult to see
+across the road. A hasty luncheon in a Pera restaurant followed, and
+then we turned toward Stamboul. As we drove again across the Galata
+bridge through the ever interesting throng of humanity that crowds over
+it, our attention was called to the manner in which merchandise is
+conveyed through the narrow streets of the city. Wagons are rarely
+used, but men carry the merchandise on their backs and shoulders. These
+men passed us laden with immense bales of hides, huge bundles of carpets
+and rugs, large boxes of dry-goods, great crates of fruits or
+vegetables, piles of trunks, barrels and sacks of groceries, and cans of
+oil. The ponderous burdens were heaped upon wooden frames fitted to the
+backs and strapped to the shoulders of the carriers. When the load was
+too heavy for one man to carry, it was suspended on poles and carried by
+two or more of the bearers.
+
+[Illustration: "WHAT A CONTRAST," SHE SAID.]
+
+A high wall surrounds the old Seraglio grounds. Before visitors may
+enter a permit must be obtained. A permit including the necessary fees
+to the keepers costs small parties of visitors about five dollars each;
+the permit and fees for the Molkte party, so it was rumored, cost the
+managers two hundred dollars. The captain of the guard at the gate
+scrutinized our permit and kept us waiting until an official was
+summoned to act as our conductor. When we arrived at the Treasury
+building the huge door was opened with impressive ceremony and the
+uniformed officials kept the tourists under close surveillance while
+they were within.
+
+Among the many curiosities that attracted attention in the first room of
+the Treasury was a throne captured from one of the Shahs of Persia four
+hundred years ago. This Persian throne is made of beaten gold inlaid
+with rubies and emeralds, and is said to be of fabulous value. Arranged
+in glass cases in another room a row of figures represents the Sultans
+of past ages clothed in the royal attire worn by them. The white turbans
+of these effigies are ablaze with jewels. The mantles which cover them
+are of Oriental brocade wrought in gold and silver patterns, and the
+belts, swords, and daggers are adorned with sparkling gems. A suit of
+chain armor worn by one of the Sultans of olden times is ornamented with
+gold and diamonds. On the second floor of the Treasury, to which we
+ascended by a narrow stairway, the most carefully guarded treasure is a
+throne used by a former Turkish ruler. This Turkish throne is made of
+precious wood inlaid with tortoise shell, mother of pearl, and gold and
+silver traceries, and is set with turquoises. A canopy overspreads the
+throne, and beneath the canopy, suspended by a golden cord, hangs an
+enormous pear-shaped emerald. In cases around the various rooms, crowns,
+sceptres, simitars, swords, daggers, and talismans, scintillate with
+rubies, emeralds, and diamonds.
+
+"Many of the highly valued treasures stored in these rooms," said our
+friend, the professor, "are trophies of the times when Crusader knight,
+Persian prince, and Saracen warrior went forth to battle arrayed in
+costly apparel, and encamped under silken canopies or in tents of cloth
+of gold. Then jeweled balls suspended from golden cords adorned the tent
+poles of the warriors, and luxury and opulence abounded underneath the
+canopies. The royalty of kings and princes moved with them to the field
+of war. Under pavilions of Oriental weave, silken carpets were spread
+over the turf for royal feet to tread, and thrones erected from which
+the sovereigns issued their commands. Retinues of retainers rendered
+obeisance and executed the mandates of their lords. Caravans of camels
+laden with robes of royalty and chests of treasure moved from camp to
+camp.
+
+"Knights and warriors vied with each other in the splendor of their
+equipage. The trappings of their war steeds were embroidered in silk and
+gold; the breastplates and helmets which protected their bodies were
+embossed with silver or traced with gold; the scabbards and hilts of
+their weapons were encrusted with precious stones; and their mantles
+were clasped with fastenings and buckles adorned with jewels. In battle
+the body of a dead knight gave much booty to the slayer; the capture of
+a canopy enriched the captors; and the defeat of an army and seizure of
+its camp gave to the victors a train of spoils.
+
+"For several centuries, the Turkish empire was dominant in the East and
+its armies victorious in the field. It was during these centuries of
+power that the Moslem rulers gathered the great accumulation of
+trophies and spoils of war, valued at untold millions, which we find
+stored in the rooms of this marble edifice."
+
+After leaving the Treasury we were led by the official conductor past
+the building in which the mantle, sword, and green banner of the great
+founder of Mohammedanism are treasured. These personal relics of the
+Prophet are considered by the Moslems too sacred to be gazed upon by
+infidel eyes.
+
+We tarried awhile in the Bagdad Kiosk, a white marble palace noted for
+its interior wall decoration of blue tiling, beautiful doors inlaid with
+mother of pearl, and handsome furniture inlaid with inscriptions of
+silver, and thence proceeded to a marble pavilion in which, as guests of
+the absent Sultan, we partook of refreshments. These refreshments,
+consisting of Turkish coffee in tiny cups and Turkish preserves on small
+plates, were brought to us by the servants of the Sultan. We stood
+awhile on the portico in the rear of the pavilion and admired the
+magnificent view of the harbor with its shipping, and the surrounding
+shores covered with buildings.
+
+Leaving the portico and its panoramic view with regret, we turned to the
+Museum of Antiquities, intending to inspect hastily the relics of
+ancient times which it contains. The collection, however, proved to be
+much more interesting than we had expected, so, instead of hurriedly
+passing through the building, we lingered around the sarcophagi and
+studied the hunting and battle scenes which were exquisitely carved on
+the polished marble of the exteriors of the old stone coffins. The
+most beautiful of these sarcophagi, twenty-one in number, have been
+discovered within the past thirty or forty years at Sidon in Syria. The
+tireless archaeologists, eager in pursuit of knowledge of the past, found
+and opened the graves in which the dead kings of Sidon had quietly
+rested for thousands of years; then disinterring the heavy stone caskets
+they brought them to Constantinople to be placed on exhibition.
+
+[Illustration: THE STREET CARS IN PERA ARE DOUBLE-DECKED.]
+
+These sarcophagi are stone caskets of great size and weight composed of
+two pieces, the chest and lid. The chest is hewn out of one solid block
+of marble and the lid of another. The sarcophagi range from ten to
+twelve feet in length, from five to six feet in width, and from six to
+eight feet in height. One of the stone coffins, made of black Egyptian
+marble and named the Tabnith, contained, when found, the dried up mummy
+of an ancient king, Tabnith, who lived four centuries before the time of
+Christ. An inscription on this in Egyptian hieroglyphics pronounced a
+curse upon the man who should despoil the tomb, but the dreadful warning
+was not deciphered until the casket reached the Museum. Another
+sarcophagus, called the Satrap's, cut out of Parian marble, somewhat
+resembles a Grecian temple in form. On the sides are depicted, in marble
+carvings, a funeral banquet, a governor on his throne, a hunting scene
+with a lion at bay, a frightened horse dragging its dismounted rider,
+and many other similar scenes.
+
+"But this, in my opinion, is the most attractive casket in the
+collection," said the professor as we came to one named the Weepers, on
+the marble sides of which a master sculptor of ancient times had carved
+eighteen female forms. "Notice how each figure is portrayed in a
+different graceful attitude of mourning and how each is a picture of
+sorrow. And notice, too, the exquisite workmanship of the frieze with
+its ornamentation of a hundred small figures in hunting scenes."
+
+[Illustration: WE FED THE PIGEONS AT THE PIGEON MOSQUE.]
+
+Near to the Weepers is the sarcophagus known as the Alexander, the most
+famous in the collection, by many considered the most beautiful in the
+world, and in the opinion expressed by the American Consul in
+Constantinople, "worth crossing the ocean to see." The sculptures on
+this represent a battle between Greeks and Persians with many figures
+and incidents of battle, and elaborate hunting scenes with many details
+delicately worked out. These four sarcophagi, and the one named the
+Lycian on which Amazons in four horse chariots hunting lions are
+delineated, attracted the most attention from the tourists, but there
+were scores of other sarcophagi in the collection almost as interesting.
+
+In another part of the Museum, called the China Pavilion, the noted
+stone tablet from the Temple of Jerusalem was on exhibition. This
+tablet, discovered at Jerusalem in the year 1871, originally stood in
+the Temple enclosure to mark the limit which Gentiles were not allowed
+to pass. The Greek inscription on the tablet is translated as follows:
+
+"No Gentile may pass beyond the railing into the court round the Temple;
+he who is caught trespassing will bring death upon himself."
+
+Statues, pottery, porcelain, jewels, and antiquities of various kinds
+were hurriedly passed by until an exclamation of one of the ladies
+caused us to pause.
+
+"Look at his eyes," she said, pointing to a bronze statue of Jupiter.
+"Did you ever see any eyes like that in a statue?"
+
+The eyes of the god were represented by two bright rubies which gave
+them a very peculiar expression. This room contained many exquisite
+pieces of bronze work; one representing Hercules was particularly fine
+in execution.
+
+"We will stop now to view the Hippodrome," said the guide, after driving
+a short distance from the Museum.
+
+"But where is the Hippodrome?" inquired a tourist as we descended from
+the carriages in a long open square.
+
+"Alas! the building is no more," sadly replied the guide. "This square
+is a part of the ground on which it stood. The space was originally very
+long and wide, but that great Mosque of Ahmed and other buildings now
+occupy a large portion of the old circus grounds.
+
+"The ancient Hippodrome was an oblong enclosure fourteen hundred feet
+long and four hundred feet wide, surrounded by magnificent porticos
+adorned with statues of marble and bronze, and had a seating capacity of
+eighty thousand. It was used for chariot races, athletic sports, and
+bloody gladiatorial combats. Sometimes the seats were crowded with
+people, now assembled to glory in the triumphal procession of a
+returning conqueror, now to gloat over the burning of heretics and
+criminals who had been condemned to death by the flames.
+
+"That high red granite obelisk covered with hieroglyphics at the end of
+the square is called the Obelisk of Theodosius the Great. It was
+originally erected in the Temple of the Sun in Egypt in 1600 B.C. by a
+haughty king who inscribed on the stone a statement that he had
+'conquered the whole world,' and that his 'royalty was as firm as that
+of the gods in the sky.' For two thousand years the obelisk remained in
+Heliopolis as a memorial of its builder, Thotmes III, but for the past
+fifteen hundred years it has stood here as a monument to the Emperor
+Theodosius, who brought it from Egypt as a trophy. In order that he
+might not be forgotten, the Emperor caused a representation of himself
+surrounded by courtiers, guards, and dancing girls to be carved on the
+base of the obelisk. These sculptures, as you see, are in good
+condition. The bronze 'Serpent Column' in the centre of the square,
+representing three serpents coiled around each other, once supported the
+tripod used in the ceremonial services of the Pythian oracle at Delphi."
+
+When the guide had finished his remarks, our friend, the professor,
+stepped forward and said: "Some of the tourists may not be familiar with
+the story of the horses that lived as long and traveled as far as did
+the 'Wandering Jew' in Eugene Sue's well known romance. The conductor
+has requested me to relate the story."
+
+"In some ancient time before the Christian era, a Roman conqueror found
+in an Oriental city four magnificent horses that pleased him. He took
+them to Rome to grace his triumph. Centuries later the covetous Emperor
+Constantine brought these same horses from Rome to Constantinople and
+stood them here to add glory to the splendor of his Hippodrome. For nine
+hundred years the horses remained undisturbed; then ruthless Christian
+Crusaders carried them with other spoils to Venice. A long rest at
+Venice succeeded until the ambitious Bonaparte drew them away to
+beautify his famous Capitol. After the downfall of Napoleon the prayers
+of the Venetians were effectual in bringing the horses away from Paris,
+and now these gilded bronze travelers, that were coveted and prized by
+great rulers of the world, stand in front of the Church of San Marco in
+the city of Venice."
+
+[Illustration: WAGONS ARE RARELY USED, MEN CARRY MERCHANDISE.]
+
+As the professor ceased speaking, a clear penetrating voice was heard
+from overhead crying:
+
+"Al-la-hu, Ak-bar! Al-la-hu, Ak-bar!" uttering each syllable distinctly.
+
+It was the Muezzin calling the people to prayer. Looking up we saw him
+on a little balcony near the summit of a minaret which stood within the
+enclosure of the adjoining Mosque of Ahmed. Then he disappeared and we
+heard more faintly his call from the farther side of the balcony. It is
+the Muezzin's duty to repeat his calls from the four sides of the
+minaret, to north, east, south, and west. His words were interpreted for
+us: "God is great," repeated four times on each side of the minaret.
+
+Faithful Moslems on hearing the call repeated his words.
+
+"There is no God but God," he called again, reciting it twice.
+
+His hearers repeated this declaration.
+
+"Mohammed is the prophet of God."
+
+The people responded in the same words.
+
+"Come to prayer."
+
+"I have no power or strength but from God most high and great," all true
+believers replied.
+
+"Come to do good," again the Muezzin called.
+
+"What God wills will be; what he wills not will not be," answered the
+people, all responses being muttered in low tones.
+
+"The ringing of bells to call the people to service is forbidden," said
+the guide. "It is written that when the Mohammedan meetings were first
+held in Arabia, there was difficulty in gathering the people together
+and propositions were made to 'Ring a bell as the Christians do,' and to
+'Blow the trumpets as do the Jews;' but Omar cried, 'What! is there not
+a man among you who can call to prayer?' The prophet then said, 'O
+Billal! stand and make the call to prayer.' Since then the melodious
+voices of the trained Muezzins five times each day summon the Moslems
+to prayer, and the tall graceful minarets which rise above the
+surrounding buildings were erected so that the voices could ring out
+over the city."
+
+We followed the faithful into the mosque, after paying our fees and
+donning the slippers, and stood quietly in the rear of the great
+auditorium. The interior was brightened by beautiful blue and white
+tiling which lined the arches overhead and covered the immense piers
+that supported the roof. Inside the mosque, near the entrance, water was
+running from spigots into stone basins. The Moslems stopped at the
+basins and washed their hands and feet. Some of the better dressed
+worshipers appeared to have slippers inside their shoes and went through
+the motion of washing the feet, but the poorer classes used the water to
+cleanse their feet, and then walked forward barefooted on the rugs. Each
+man,--for there were no women at the service,--carried his shoes with
+him and placed them upon a board on the floor provided for that purpose.
+
+The Koran, the sacred book, which, as the Moslems claim, was revealed to
+Mahomet by the angel Gabriel and was written by Mahomet under
+inspiration, commands:
+
+"The clothes and person of the worshiper must be clean, the place free
+from all impurity, and the face turned toward Mecca." And also:
+
+"O believers! when ye address yourselves to prayer wash your hands up to
+the elbows, and wipe your heads, and your feet to the ankles."
+
+The worshipers, scattered around the vast interior, all facing the
+black stone in the wall which indicates the direction of Mecca, repeated
+their prayers in low tones. At first they stood with hands close at
+their sides, then as they muttered the prescribed formulas the hands
+were raised to the sides of the heads, then with hands clasped in front
+the worshipers remained for a short time in devout attention. After
+bowing several times the Moslems knelt on the Oriental rugs continuing
+the muttered supplications and concluded their personal devotions by
+bowing forward on their feet. The Iman, or priest, then ascended the
+pulpit, the worshipers formed in lines, and as the priests read the
+prayers, they went through the same movements that they had previously
+made while at their personal devotions.
+
+"Women do not take any part in the public worship on the floor of the
+mosque," said the guide. "The latticed galleries are provided for them.
+There they may sit in privacy during the service. The galleries,
+however, are rarely occupied."
+
+The Mosque of Ahmed has six minarets; St. Sophia, only four. The
+minarets, slender, round towers, are not attached to the main edifices,
+but stand separate and distinct in the courts surrounding the mosques,
+with some space intervening between mosque and minaret.
+
+Resuming our drive through the very narrow streets of Stamboul, which
+are paved with large rough cobble stones once laid in place but now very
+much out of place, we passed many old unpainted frame buildings with
+stove pipes projecting from the windows of the second and third floors.
+
+"I do not wish any one ill," said a tourist who at home was chief of a
+city Fire Department, "but I would give a ten dollar gold piece if I
+could see how the fire department of this old city manages to control or
+extinguish a conflagration after it has gained headway among these
+tinder boxes. The watchmen on the watch towers surely cannot locate a
+fire and give the alarm until they see a smoke or flame arising."
+
+[Illustration: CAMEL AND DONKEY WERE BEDECKED WITH TRAPPINGS.]
+
+The fountains of the city were one of the peculiar Turkish institutions
+that attracted the tourists' attention. The Koran enjoins all true
+believers to abstain from intoxicants, and to perform regular ablutions
+before prayers; so there are drinking fountains at corners where the
+thirsty assemble to drink from brass cups, and washing fountains or
+basins outside and adjoining the mosques, as well as inside these
+buildings, where Moslems were seen washing hands or feet regardless of
+our curious eyes. Some of the drinking fountains are very large and
+beautiful. The fountain erected by Sultan Ahmed surpasses all others in
+grace of proportion and beauty of design. This magnificent structure is
+ornamented with carved arabesques, inscriptions in gilt, and delicately
+colored green tile. Above the water tap may be seen in Turkish
+characters the builder's mandate:
+
+"Wayfarer, admire this beautiful work; turn the tap in the name of
+Allah; drink thy fill and bless the founder, Ahmed Khan."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+FROM THE BOSPORUS TO PALESTINE.
+
+
+The program posted for Saturday, February twenty-eighth, announced that
+the Moltke would leave Constantinople at nine o'clock in the morning for
+a trip to the Black Sea, a distance of thirty-five miles. As we sailed
+up the Bosporus, which narrows and widens, twists and turns, a
+succession of picturesque scenes opened up before us. Scattered along
+the shores, which for fifteen or twenty miles beyond Constantinople may
+be considered suburbs of that city, white marble palaces of the rulers,
+summer residences of the foreign ambassadors, and villas of the wealthy
+Turks were seen interspersed with modern villages and ruined walls and
+castles of past ages. Pretty frame summer houses, groves of dark green
+cypress, gardens, boat-houses, and mosques added interest to the views.
+
+"The sail up the Bosporus reminds me of one taken on the Hudson River,
+but the scenery on the banks is Oriental instead of modern," remarked
+one of the tourists.
+
+"The old castles and ruined walls, and the legends connected with them,
+suggest the Rhine," commented another.
+
+At the water's edge on the Asiatic side, a few miles from the city, we
+saw the beautiful white marble Beylerbey Palace, built in the year 1866
+by Abdul-Aziz, the predecessor of the present Sultan, as a residence
+for his harem. For their pleasure he surrounded the palace with groves
+and gardens and established a menagerie in the grounds. About eight
+miles from the city all eyes were turned toward a hill on the European
+shore, where, above a cluster of buildings, the Stars and Stripes
+floated in the breeze.
+
+"That is the American College, which is doing good work in Turkey. It
+was founded by Mr. A. Robert of New York, and is known as the 'Robert
+College,'" said the guide.
+
+[Illustration: THE TURKISH STUDENTS WAVED HATS AND FLAGS.]
+
+As our steamer passed the college, the Turkish students from roof,
+windows, and campus waved hats, handkerchiefs, and flags, and cheered
+energetically, and the tourists waved to them in return. Just beyond the
+college we passed an old town surrounded by ancient towers and time-worn
+walls.
+
+"This ancient stronghold," said the guide, "was known as the Citadel
+of Europe. The fortress commanded the Strait and enabled the Sultans of
+four centuries ago to levy toll on all passing vessels. At this place,
+where the Bosporus is only about half a mile wide, the Persian ruler,
+Darius, with his army crossed on a bridge of boats to invade Greece.
+Here also the Crusaders crossed on their way to free the Holy Land from
+the clutch of the Saracens."
+
+[Illustration: LEVIED TOLL ON ALL PASSING VESSELS.]
+
+The Moltke sailed into the Black Sea merely far enough to sweep around
+in a wide circle and then, returning through the Bosporus, passed by
+Constantinople and entered the Sea of Marmora.
+
+"It seems like parting with a dear old friend," said a tourist as we
+looked back on the fading domes and waved farewell to mosque and
+minaret. "We have seen so much of the city in so short a time. Every
+hour has been used to the best advantage in the Turkish capital."
+
+Sunday, March first, was not to be a day of rest for the tourists; for
+the Moltke had arrived at Smyrna at daylight and was to remain in the
+harbor of that city only until dark.
+
+The principal reason for a day's stay at Smyrna was to give an
+opportunity for an excursion by train to the site of ancient Ephesus.
+Many of the tourists took this trip to see the few scattered ruins that
+mark the place where once stood the magnificent Temple of Diana. The
+clergymen of the party desired to view the place where the Apostle Paul
+had fought in the arena with wild beasts, and where Demetrius and his
+fellow silversmiths had led the rioters against this Apostle whose
+preaching interfered with the sales of silver shrines for Diana.
+
+Other tourists, who did not take the excursion to Ephesus, explored the
+narrow, badly-paved streets of Smyrna, and visited the bazaars. This
+city would have seemed more interesting to us but for our previous visit
+to the more picturesque Constantinople. In a crowded street we
+encountered a flock of turkeys driven by a native. The turkeys appeared
+to understand the driver's commands and were more easily guided by a
+touch of his long switch than would be a flock of sheep passing through
+a street in an American city.
+
+Setting sail again, we passed late in the evening the island of Patmos,
+where Saint John wrote the book of Revelations, and on Monday morning we
+saw at a distance the island of Rhodes, noted for its historic defense
+by the Knights of Malta. About nine o'clock Tuesday morning the Moltke
+anchored in the Bay of St. George some distance from the shore. On the
+surrounding hill slopes rose the city of Beyrout. Fresh-looking white
+and yellow tinted buildings, red-tiled roofs, and a background of green
+groves and orchards interspersed with white villas, gave the city an
+appearance of newness. The whole scene, with the snow-capped Mountains
+of Lebanon beyond, presented a beautiful picture to the eye.
+
+"Beyrout has a population of 120,000, and is a prosperous, growing
+city," said one of the managers of the tour. "It is a centre of
+missionary work, and has American and German colleges. The old streets
+are narrow, as are all old streets in Eastern towns; but they are clean.
+The newer streets are of modern width. Educational advantages, foreign
+enterprise, and European mercantile firms have infused new life into
+the native population."
+
+[Illustration: LADEN WITH HUGE TIMBERS.]
+
+Madame Barakat, a native of Syria, and a well-known lecturer and Bible
+reader, had very kindly given us letters of introduction to her Syrian
+relatives in Beyrout. Among these were Mr. Sarkis, a highly respected
+gentleman who had been honored by the Sultan with decorations for
+services to his country, and who was also an author and editor of a
+daily newspaper; and Mr. Sabra, his assistant, a tall, fine-looking man.
+Another was the Rev. Mr. Zurub, pastor of the Congregational Church. The
+three gentlemen were able to converse in English as fluently as in their
+own tongue.
+
+[Illustration: I. SCATTERED RUINS OF EPHESUS.]
+
+[Illustration: II. WHERE ONCE STOOD THE TEMPLE OF DIANA.]
+
+We were very cordially received by Mr. Sarkis, and, after meeting and
+conversing with the other gentlemen, were shown through their printing
+house, where Syrian type-setters were setting type to print Arabic
+letters that looked like shorthand characters, and Jewish girls were
+employed binding pamphlets. Our names were given to the printer, and in
+a few minutes he presented us with visiting cards containing the names
+in Arabic letters, thus:
+
+[Illustration: Arabic script]
+
+"Let us visit a candy factory while waiting for the carriages I have
+ordered," said Mr. Sabra. "I know that the ladies are fond of sweetmeats
+and I can guarantee these to be perfectly pure. We think that our
+candies are delicious," he added as we entered the factory, and the
+ladies agreed with him after eating some of the sweets.
+
+The Syrians take pride in their city, in its factories, its hospitals,
+its seminaries and colleges, its progressive business spirit, and the
+beauty of its suburbs. We visited one of the silk factories where
+hundreds of Syrian girls were engaged in unwinding the cocoons of
+delicate gossamer that had been tediously spun and wound by the silk
+worms among the leaves of the mulberry trees in the great orchards on
+the hillsides.
+
+"On the slope of yonder mountain we have a villa in which we spend the
+hot summer months," said Mr. Sabra, pointing to the distant mountains as
+we reached an elevation from which a broad view was obtained. "If there
+had been time I would have taken you there to see one of the most
+beautiful views in Syria."
+
+[Illustration: CACTI IN BEYROUT MADE AN IMPENETRABLE FENCE.]
+
+"The landscape is magnificent as seen from here," we replied. The
+fruitful valley lay before us, beyond rose the verdant hills, and above
+all towered the stately mountains of Lebanon. Villages, hamlets, villas,
+exuberant gardens, orchards of spreading mulberry trees, graceful palms,
+fig, lemon, and orange trees enhanced the beauty of the scene.
+
+"Our colleges and schools," said Mr. Sarkis, "are equal to those of a
+European city. Our people are becoming an educated people; almost all of
+the younger generation can read and write. My daughters have been
+educated in the American Seminary and can converse fluently in French,
+German, and English, as well as in Arabic."
+
+In a narrow thoroughfare we passed horses laden with long boards
+strapped lengthwise on their backs, and camels laden with huge timbers
+strapped to their backs and sides in the same manner.
+
+"This is my home," said Mr. Sarkis, as the carriage stopped before a
+large house surrounded by a small garden and a high wall. "I wish you to
+meet my wife and sister and daughters."
+
+Our hostesses were dressed in the English fashion, and our hosts, too,
+wore modern English clothes, but the red fez on their heads designated
+them as Turkish subjects. When we expressed an interest in their way of
+living, the ladies took us from the reception room, which was furnished
+in modern style, into their garden where orange and lemon trees and
+semi-tropical plants were growing. They conducted us then through the
+spacious marble-floored central hall, permitting us to look into nursery
+and bedrooms fitted up partly in modern and partly in Oriental style,
+and led us up a stone stairway to the level roof, which, with its
+surrounding parapet, recalled the one described in "Ben Hur." Here fruit
+was served by a Syrian maid clad in the native costume. On our return to
+the lower floor, our hostesses conducted us to the divan salon or
+Oriental smoking room. There, while we rested on low couches, the
+Syrian maid passed around Turkish coffee in dainty cups, and then
+brought a lighted narghileh from which, in turn, each one present took a
+few whiffs of the mild Turkish tobacco.
+
+[Illustration: VISITED THE OLDEST CITY IN THE WORLD.]
+
+Mr. Sarkis told us that he had visited the United States at the time of
+the Chicago Exposition. He took one hundred and forty Arabian horses to
+the Exposition and had some interesting experiences while there. The
+Rev. Mr. Zurub had spent sixteen months in America and spoke in the
+highest terms of the kindness with which he had been received by the
+American people.
+
+In the evening a ball was given on the deck of the steamer, which had
+been tastefully decorated for the occasion. Our friends, Mr. Sarkis,
+Mrs. Sarkis and sister, the daughters, Fahima, aged about eighteen,
+Neda, aged about fourteen, and a son, aged about sixteen, together with
+Mr. Sabra, came on board to visit the ship. Mr. Sabra sang some Arabic
+songs and Fahima joined him in a duet.
+
+About fifty tourists left the Moltke at Beyrout in order to take the
+side trip of three days to Damascus, the oldest city in history, and to
+the ruins of the great Temple of Baal at Baalbek. A narrow-gauge railway
+extends across the Lebanon Mountains from Beyrout to Damascus. The
+distance is but ninety miles, but as the train has to rise to an
+elevation of nearly five thousand feet and then descend to the valley
+beyond, the average speed does not exceed ten or twelve miles an hour.
+On Wednesday morning the steamer stopped at the little seaport of Haifa
+just long enough to send ashore sixty passengers. Some of these wished
+to take the side trip to Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee by carriage;
+the others, to make the excursion through the interior of Palestine on
+horseback, camping on the way, and rejoining the main party in
+Jerusalem.
+
+At noon on Wednesday the Moltke anchored in the unprotected harbor of
+Jaffa over a mile from the shore, as it is not safe for a large steamer
+to approach nearer. This was the landing place in the Mediterranean most
+dreaded by the tourists; for we had heard of jagged rocks that projected
+their black heads from the water, and of rough seas that on windy days
+broke over the rocks making the passage from the vessel to the dock very
+dangerous. The weather, however, was fair and the sea unusually smooth
+that noon as the tourists one by one dropped from the platform at the
+foot of the stairway into the row-boats as they rose on the swell of the
+waves. The boats were large and built expressly for this dangerous
+harbor. Each boat was managed by eight men, six rowers, a helmsman, and
+a bowman, and each boat carried about twenty passengers. As the Syrians
+labored hard at the oars they chanted continually a prayer to Allah for
+a fair passage.
+
+After safely landing at the stone steps of the dock, we proceeded
+through the streets to the special train which was waiting to carry us
+up to Jerusalem, not stopping to visit the traditional house of Simon,
+the tanner, where the Apostle Peter had a vision on the roof.
+
+"The oranges of Jaffa are noted as being the finest in the world. Don't
+fail to buy some," said a gentleman from California. "We raise good
+oranges in my state, but ours are not quite equal to those of Jaffa."
+
+Arab men and boys surrounded the tourists at the station offering
+carefully packed baskets, each containing two or three dozen fresh,
+juicy oranges at what seemed an extremely low price. When the train
+started every compartment contained one or more baskets of the delicious
+fruit.
+
+[Illustration: IT WAS A TYPICAL SYRIAN GROUP.]
+
+The journey from Jaffa to Jerusalem was literally "up;" for the Sacred
+City is nearly three thousand feet above the sea, and four hours was
+required for the trip of fifty-four miles. After leaving Jaffa the train
+passed through a succession of interesting panoramic views: gardens
+where richness of soil was manifested by the rankness of the growth of
+the plants and flowers; groups of palm trees with long, rough trunks,
+and tufted heads high in the air; long rows of tall, narrow-leaved,
+evergreen eucalyptus trees; orchards of orange trees where yellow fruit
+clustered amid the glossy dark green leaves; orchards of almond trees
+covered with a delicate pink bloom; and orchards of gray olive trees
+with a carpet of grass underneath, as beautiful as a park; bare fig
+trees whose time for leaf and bloom had not yet come; and fences of huge
+leaved prickly cactus plants protecting garden plots.
+
+"What queer looking plows they have," said a companion, as we noticed
+near the train a plowman who had stopped his camel, and thrown his plow,
+which looked like a crooked root with a point, out of the furrow, while
+he gazed at the passing train. "The first gardener must have obtained a
+plow of the same kind from the original forest."
+
+In stretches of sod the rich brown earth was being turned up by farmers
+with teams of camels, one great camel to each little wooden plow, or
+with teams composed of an ox and an ass hitched together. In one field
+twelve camel teams were plowing the sod. We use the word field, but
+there were no fences except the cactus hedges around small plots. The
+farm boundaries from ancient times have been marked by corner stones to
+which Moses referred when he gave the law: "Cursed be he that removeth
+his neighbor's landmark." We were in the midst of historic places
+mentioned in the Bible. To the north lay the fertile level fields of the
+Plain of Sharon. Fields of young wheat were beautified by the roses of
+Sharon,--red poppies with black centres and short stems,--which dotted
+the carpet of green with flecks of red. At Lydda, where Peter healed the
+man who had the palsy, Arab urchins begged the passengers to buy little
+bunches of the red poppies and other wild flowers that they offered for
+sale. To the south stretched the Plain of Philistia, the scene of
+Samson's adventures, and the fields through which he sent the three
+hundred foxes with firebrands tied to their tails. In that direction
+also lay battle fields where Philistines and Israelites struggled for
+supremacy.
+
+[Illustration: A CARAVAN WITH BALES OF RUGS HAD JUST ARRIVED.]
+
+The towns and villages on the route were small and mean. The better
+buildings were constructed of stone with flat stone roofs, but many were
+made of mud with mud roofs on which a crop of grass was growing. After
+the first hour's ride, fertile rolling plains succeeded the level sandy
+loam. When about thirty miles from Jaffa, after a two hours' ride, the
+hill country of Judea was entered. From that point the train traveled
+slowly and laboriously up the hills and mountains by steep gradients.
+Overhead in the limestone cliffs were many caves, one of which was
+pointed out as Samson's Grotto. Whenever there was any soil among the
+rocks and stones, the grass grew luxuriantly, making good pasture for
+the herds of nimble-footed black goats that picked their way along the
+steep and rocky mountain side. The red rose of Sharon grew in profusion
+and took possession of the uncultivated ground around the trees and
+between the rocks. At many places the abundance of these poppies and the
+beauty of their groupings gave to the land the appearance of a park
+planned and laid out by a landscape gardener. Nearer the summit the
+hills were bleak and barren. Here was the village of Bittir, a group of
+little stone houses clinging to the mountain side, where terraces
+supported by stone walls held up small gardens on which cauliflower and
+other vegetables were growing.
+
+[Illustration: THEY CHANTED A PRAYER TO ALLAH.]
+
+"For the past hour," said a lady who had been intently gazing out of the
+window of the car, "yes, for a longer time, I have been looking forward
+expecting to see a city burst forth impressively into sight, a city upon
+a mountain top, 'beautiful for situation.' Now the conductor tells us
+that we are nearing our destination, and yet cliffs and hills are all
+that we can see. Where is Jerusalem? 'A city set upon a hill cannot be
+hid.'"
+
+"You have not read your Bible closely," replied a minister in our
+compartment. "David said, 'The mountains are round about Jerusalem,' As
+it was then so we shall find it now, on hills surrounded by other hills.
+Do not expect to see the city of Solomon's time which the Queen of Sheba
+came to visit. Its glory departed eighteen centuries ago. I fear that
+your imagination has led you to expect more than the modern Turkish town
+which we shall find, and you may feel like lamenting with Jeremiah, 'Is
+this the city that men call the perfection of beauty, the joy of the
+whole earth?'"
+
+It was not until we were approaching the railway station, which is
+situated in the suburbs about a mile from the city, that we obtained a
+view of the yellow walls and buildings of the Holy City, and the sight
+then was not impressive, as we had expected. Then at the station, amid
+the noisy cries of many Arab drivers, we obtained seats in carriages,
+and were driven at breakneck speed over a good road down into the valley
+of Hinnom and up a long hill to the Jaffa gate.
+
+The party had been divided by the managers into sections for the various
+hotels, and each tourist had been given a card with the name of his
+hotel. Those who were to go to hotels outside the walls of the city
+proceeded directly to their destination in carriages. Those who were to
+stay within the walls descended from the conveyances in front of the
+Grand Hotel just within the Jaffa gate, and went the rest of the way on
+foot through narrow streets that carriages could not enter. The writer
+was assigned to the Casa Nova, or Hospitium Franciscanum, a monastery or
+hospital built expressly for the accommodation of pilgrims to the Holy
+City, and controlled and managed by Franciscan monks.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+JERUSALEM.
+
+
+On Wednesday evening, after our arrival at Jerusalem, we visited a small
+store to purchase a guide-book of the city. But the merchant would not
+accept our French or English money, and we had no Turkish money. We laid
+the book down, but the dealer said, "You take the book and pay me
+another time."
+
+"Are you willing to trust a stranger?" we inquired.
+
+"Yes!" he replied, "I trust American any time. You may buy goods, all
+you want, three hundred dollars' worth. I trust you. When you go home to
+America, then you send me the money."
+
+"Were you never cheated?" we asked.
+
+"No," he answered, "I trust American many time. American always pay, but
+me not trust Frenchman; Frenchman forget."
+
+Glad to know that our countrymen bear such a good reputation, we took
+the book without giving our names, merely telling him that we were
+staying at the Casa Nova and would pay the next day.
+
+In our country we can travel from Maine to California with one kind of
+money. All that is necessary is to have plenty of it. But in these
+foreign lands the currency changes as we move from one country to
+another, so that we may have a pocket full of money and yet not be able
+to pay our bills. At Funchal, Portuguese money was current; at
+Gibraltar and at Malta, English money; at Granada, Spanish; at Algiers,
+French; at Athens, Greek; at Constantinople and Jerusalem, Turkish. In
+Cairo another coinage was current, and in Italy the Turkish and Egyptian
+coins left over had to be sold to the money changers or taken home as
+souvenirs. In large cities the hotels and larger stores accepted
+American, English, and French money at its value, but small dealers and
+individuals knew nothing of foreign coins and wanted payment in their
+own currency. As it was desirable at all times to have plenty of small
+coins on hand, the tourists soon became acquainted with the value of
+shillings and pence, francs and centimes, drachmae and lepta, piasters
+and paras. On our arrival at each port the managers of the tour and the
+purser of the vessel obtained a large number of small coins of that
+particular country so that the needs of the tourists could be promptly
+supplied.
+
+Our room at the Hospice was rather cold but my room-mate said there was
+one compensation, we need have no fear of the hotel's burning down and
+so need not be anxious as to the location of the fire escapes before
+retiring. The Casa Nova is a stone building with stone stairways and
+floors. In our room there was nothing inflammable but the mosquito
+nettings and lace draperies over the iron bedsteads. Two candles
+furnished us with light, hempen rugs covered portions of the black and
+white marble floor, a gilded crucifix hung on the painted stone wall,
+and two chairs, a small table, and a washstand completed the furnishing.
+
+[Illustration: I. ENTERED BY THE JAFFA GATE.]
+
+[Illustration: II. STOOD IN THE PALACE OF CAIAPHAS.]
+
+Early Thursday morning, with bright anticipations, we started for a
+visit to Bethlehem. The drive of six miles over a good limestone road
+was one of much interest. Our dragoman pointed out the well where the
+wise men, stooping to drink, saw the reflection of the star in the
+water before they beheld the star itself in the sky.
+
+[Illustration: CAMELS SINGLE AND CAMELS IN TRAINS.]
+
+"Why, how could that be?" inquired one of the party. "I thought the wise
+men were following the star."
+
+But the guide did not attempt to explain. It was his business to state
+facts in which he had believed all his life; not to enter into disputes
+with unbelievers as to the truth of his statements. He showed us a great
+rock in the road where Elijah, wearied in his flight, lay down to rest.
+It seemed to be a hard bed for a tired man, but we remembered that in
+olden times rocks and caves were selected for sleeping-places and stones
+often served for pillows.
+
+[Illustration: RECALLED TO MEMORY THE OLD LOVE STORY.]
+
+Camels were so numerous on the road that they lost their
+novelty,--camels single and camels in trains, with great hampers
+swinging at their sides laden with sacks of lime or charcoal, with
+building stone or cauliflower, with fish or flagstones, with chunks of
+wood and gnarled roots, with bags of grain and crates of vegetables,
+each camel carrying a quantity about equal to a one-horse wagon load.
+From a hill-top we caught a glimpse of the Dead Sea lying far below us
+in the valley twenty miles away. We met women on their way to market
+with heavy baskets of cauliflower and other vegetables poised on their
+heads, men bending under distended goat-skins filled with water or wine
+strapped to their shoulders, donkeys bearing basket-panniers filled with
+produce or laden with bags of grain heaped on their backs, Greek priests
+in black robes and high hats carrying white umbrellas for protection
+from the sun, and turbaned Arabs in brown robes plodding along with
+staves in their hands.
+
+The mountainous suburbs of the city are composed of limestone, and the
+limestone rocks cropped out on every side. The rocks protruding from the
+soil were of a light gray color, but the broken rocks, the fences, and
+the houses built of stone had changed to a light yellow shade from
+exposure to the weather. The fields were covered with stones except
+where little patches had been cleared with great labor and the stones
+built into fences surrounding the small plots. The hill-sides were
+almost bare of soil. Where the stones had been cleared away, the soil of
+decomposed limestone produced a luxuriant growth. The cauliflower
+carried to market was the finest we had ever seen. The few scattered
+olive trees in the valleys appeared strong and healthy in their light
+green foliage. The fig trees were bare, but occasional groups of almond
+trees were covered with pink bloom.
+
+[Illustration: IN THE NARROW STREETS OF BETHLEHEM.]
+
+During our drive we saw peasants plowing little plots with single
+donkeys and crooked wooden plows, or digging between rocks and around
+grape vines with clumsy, heavy-looking hoes. The grape vines were
+trimmed back to within three or four feet of the ground and were not
+supported or trellised. Women gathered the trimmings of the vines, bound
+them into fagots, placed the fagots on their heads, and carried them
+away to the city for firewood. Not a sprig was wasted. The old roots
+that were dug out of the ground were borne away in the same manner. In a
+country without forests and without coal everything that will burn is
+utilized. We saw girls carrying flat baskets on their heads and the
+guide satisfied our curiosity by explaining that the baskets contained
+dried cakes of camels' dung which the girls had gathered and were taking
+home for fuel.
+
+Rachel's tomb, situated four miles from Jerusalem, and about two miles
+from Bethlehem, recalled to memory the old love story: "And Jacob served
+Laban seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days,
+for the love he had for her."
+
+[Illustration: THE PEOPLE OF BETHLEHEM WERE BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL.]
+
+Cut in the rock, near Bethlehem is an ancient well, known as the well of
+David. From that point we obtained a good view of the square stone
+houses of the little town of Bethlehem, which is built on a sloping
+hill-side, and of the great spreading Church of the Nativity, which is
+the dominating feature of the place. Beyond the city we saw a verdant
+plain, where possibly Ruth gleaned, and, farther away, the hills where
+probably David led his flock to "green pastures" and the shepherds of
+later days received the "tidings of great joy."
+
+In the narrow streets of Bethlehem our driver shouted to men, women, and
+children to clear the way and make room for the carriages to pass
+through, snapping his whip at them if they did not quickly obey. When we
+arrived at the old Church of the Holy Nativity we were told that this
+venerable place is in reality a group of buildings, the original edifice
+having been built fifteen or more centuries ago, and many additions
+having been made in after years. We saw a structure of yellowish stone
+walls pierced with small windows which appeared to us more like a prison
+or a fortress than a place of worship. There were no stained glass
+windows. There was no imposing portal opening into the temple. On
+entering the sacred enclosure we passed through a door in the stone wall
+so low that we were compelled to stoop and so narrow that but one at a
+time might enter.
+
+"This doorway," said the guide, "should remind the pilgrims that the
+birthplace of the Savior is to be visited with humility and reverence."
+
+In the large, time-worn interior of the church, faded mosaics, huge
+columns, and stone floors presented a rather gloomy aspect. The tourists
+hastened through and descended to the crypt or vault underneath the
+church. This vault was paved with marble, and on a raised platform in
+the centre was a large, handsomely decorated altar. Suspended from the
+ceiling were many ancient lamps of curious make and smaller lamps
+hanging in festoons. On one side was a small room, called the Chapel of
+the Nativity, where thirty gold and silver lamps threw a dim, soft light
+on the scene below. In the pavement before an altar was a star of
+silver, and the words:
+
+    "Hic de Virgine Maria Jesus Christus natus est."
+
+Opposite and near the Chapel of the Nativity was another small,
+rock-walled room called the Chapel of the Manger. In this room the dim
+light of golden lamps revealed a white marble manger in which a large
+wax doll reclined.
+
+"The original wooden manger or cradle in which the infant Jesus reposed
+was taken to Rome," explained the guide. "If you return by way of Rome
+you may see it in the great church of Santa Maria Maggiore."
+
+"The care of the chapels, shrines, and holy places of the Church of the
+Nativity," he continued, "is appointed to the Latin, Greek, and Armenian
+churches. The space inside the building is divided. Each sect has its
+own particular portion to care for, and an intense jealousy exists among
+the rival religious bodies. If the rug of the Armenian is accidentally
+pushed over the Latin line, the action is resented. If the broom of the
+Latin while cleansing intrudes upon the Greek domain, there is trouble.
+Disputes have arisen from very slight causes, blows have been exchanged,
+rioting, blood-shed, and murder have followed. Priests at times have
+fought with priests until the Turkish soldiers intervened. Now, by the
+Sultan's orders, Moslem guards are stationed in the church to restrain
+the impetuous caretakers and prevent disturbances."
+
+[Illustration: THIS ROUND-TOPPED RIDGE IS CALLED THE MOUNT OF OLIVES.]
+
+In one of the underground chapels of the church, a dark and gloomy
+cavern cut out of the solid rock, the guide said: "In this grotto Saint
+Jerome passed thirty years fasting, praying, meditating, and writing.
+His last communion was taken here."
+
+We remembered that Domenichino's celebrated painting in the Vatican at
+Rome, called the "Last Communion of St. Jerome," represented the aged
+saint dying amid luxurious surroundings.
+
+When we came out of the church, bright-faced boys and girls urged us to
+buy their wares or accompany them to the shops. The little town appeared
+to prosper from the manufacture and sale of souvenirs of carved
+mother-of-pearl and olive-wood. Crosses, crucifixes, rosaries, beads,
+glove-boxes, writing desks, inkstands, napkin rings, paper knives, and
+forks were offered as genuine wood from the olive trees of David's town,
+and the mother-of-pearl mementoes were carved with minute scenes of
+events in the life of Christ and of places in the Holy Land.
+
+After the purchase of olive wood souvenirs had been made, the drive was
+continued to the Pools which Solomon had built to collect water for use
+in the Temple. These are situated among the hills about eight miles from
+Jerusalem. The stone walls of the reservoirs were so well constructed by
+Solomon's architects three thousand years ago that to-day the masonry
+is in almost perfect condition. The Pools, we were informed are not in
+use at the present time, although water is conveyed in pipes to
+Jerusalem from springs near-by.
+
+[Illustration: A GARDEN SURROUNDED BY AN IRON FENCE.]
+
+The glare of the sun on the white road and gray rocks, the lack of green
+in the bare landscape, and the fine dust from the limestone caused a
+slight smarting in the eyes of the travelers. So it was with relief that
+in the suburbs of the city, about half a mile from the Damascus gate, we
+descended a long flight of stone steps into the shade of an excavation
+in the rocks about twenty feet in depth. This open chamber, known as the
+Tombs of the Kings, is about ninety feet square. At one side is a
+doorway in the rock four feet high and thirty inches wide, and beside
+the doorway stood a huge stone, rounded at the corners, that might, by
+the united efforts of several men, be rolled in front of the entrance so
+as to close it completely. We crawled through the hole in the rock and
+entered a cavern. The candles of the guides revealed on each side of the
+cavern small rooms or caves containing shelves or apertures which had
+been used as the sepulchres of the Kings.
+
+Jerusalem, situated on four hills, is surrounded by hills which are
+separated from the city and from each other by deep valleys or gulleys.
+We drove from Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives over a well constructed
+modern limestone road that wound among these hills and valleys in long
+curves and horseshoes in order to reach a place that seemed almost
+within a stone's throw.
+
+[Illustration: CAREFULLY TENDED AND GUARDED BY FRANCISCAN MONKS.]
+
+"The summit of this round-topped ridge, which is called the Mount of
+Olives, is owned by Russia," explained the guide, "and the Russians have
+erected an observation tower, a chapel, and other buildings upon it.
+These buildings are surrounded by a courtyard enclosed within high stone
+walls, and a fee must be paid at the gate in order to gain admittance.
+Within the court a small circular pavilion covers the place from which,
+it is claimed, the ascension of the Savior was made."
+
+As we approached the gate, a group of Russian men and women were seen
+coming sadly away. We were informed later that these peasants, after
+tramping a long distance on a holy pilgrimage in order to kneel down and
+kiss the stone that marked the sacred spot of the Ascension of their
+Lord, were refused admittance because they had not the required fee to
+pay for entrance. In a Roman Catholic church, built on the spot on
+Olivet where Christ is said to have taught His disciples to pray, the
+Lord's Prayer is displayed on charts in large letters in thirty-six
+different languages, so that pilgrims from all parts of the world can
+read the prayer in their own tongue.
+
+From the summit of Olivet, which is two hundred feet above the city of
+Jerusalem, we looked down over the Holy City; but a finer panoramic view
+of the surrounding country was obtained afterwards from the Russian
+observation tower. The climbing of the two hundred stone steps which
+lead to the top of the tower was not easy, but we felt amply repaid by
+the magnificence of the view. Near the foot of the mountain lay the
+Garden of Gethsemane. Beyond and four hundred feet below us, the
+little brook Kedron trickled through the narrow Valley of Jehoshaphat.
+Across the valley on the opposite heights of Mount Moriah, only half a
+mile away in a direct line, prominent in the foreground, stood the
+Mosque of Omar, and back of it rose the square roof and round domes of
+the city buildings. Away off to the east, deep down in the valley, we
+could see a portion of the Dead Sea and could trace the Valley of the
+River Jordan.
+
+[Illustration: AND A FEW LEAVES FROM ONE OF THE ANCIENT OLIVE TREES.]
+
+We walked from the summit of the Mount of Olives down a steep, rocky,
+crooked, narrow lane, hemmed in by stone walls, to the foot of the
+slope, as it is considered too dangerous for the tourists to remain in
+the carriages while descending this short cut to a lower road. The
+carriages rejoined us later. At the foot of the hill there was a piece
+of land about half an acre in extent enclosed by a white stone fence.
+Within the enclosure was a garden surrounded by an iron fence. Between
+the stone fence and the iron railing was a wide path. Within the garden
+were eight gnarled olive trees that appeared to be of great age, and
+flower beds which were carefully tended and guarded by Franciscan monks.
+It was not necessary for the guide to tell us that this was the Garden
+of Gethsemane. Small shrines with pictures above them, fourteen in all,
+representing the fourteen traditionary stations of the Via Dolorosa,
+were arranged at intervals along the path around the garden. Before
+these shrines pilgrims were kneeling in prayer. As we were leaving the
+garden an old monk with tonsured head, in long brown robe girt about
+with a hempen cord and having sandals laced on his bare feet,
+presented each, of us with a flower from the garden and a few leaves
+from one of the ancient olive trees.
+
+[Illustration: I. BETHANY IS A POOR LITTLE VILLAGE.]
+
+[Illustration: II. THE EMPTY TOMB OF THE RISEN VIRGIN.]
+
+The Tomb and Chapel of the Virgin, which is but a short distance from
+Gethsemane, had a venerable aspect, and the olive trees surrounding it
+were patriarchal in appearance. We crossed the sunken court and
+descended a broad staircase of sixty steps to a gloomy chapel which
+seemed to have been excavated in the rock.
+
+"These tombs on the right are the tombs of the parents of the Virgin,
+Joachim and Anna," said the guide as we halted in the dim light. "That
+tomb on the left is the tomb of Joseph, the husband of Mary. The small
+chapel at the end of the grotto contains the empty tomb of the risen
+virgin."
+
+On the road to Bethany we passed many trains of pack mules, twenty or
+thirty in a train, and caravans of camels striding along in single file.
+A light rope or chain connected the leading camel with the others and
+kept them from straggling.
+
+The Arab who drove our carriage told us that he was a scholar. He
+explained by stating that he could converse fluently in four languages,
+besides his own native Arabic tongue. These languages were Turkish,
+Russian, Latin, and French, and in addition, he knew enough English to
+give some information to the tourists. The linguistic ignorance of the
+occupants of his carriage seemed to impress him with the idea that
+education in America is neglected.
+
+[Illustration: IN A STREET IN BETHANY A LOCAL GUIDE WAS WAITING.]
+
+Bethany, barely two miles distant from Jerusalem, is a poor little
+village with steep, rough, dirty lanes and a number of old and
+dilapidated small stone houses amid broken walls of other houses which
+evidently have been equally insignificant. One of these piles was
+pointed out by the Bethany guides as the ruins of the home of Mary and
+Martha, and we were then taken to a narrow lane where a dark and slimy
+stairway led down to the reputed tomb of Lazarus. Our dragoman, who
+firmly believed in the traditions of the country, said that he could not
+vouch for the statements made by the Bethany local guides.
+
+[Illustration: AT THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMB OF LAZARUS.]
+
+Returning to Jerusalem, we visited the so-called palace of Caiaphas,
+the High Priest. This palace is an excavated ruin. Steps lead down to
+the marble floor, which is fifteen or twenty feet below the present
+level of the street.
+
+[Illustration: THE RUINS OF THE HOME OF MARY AND MARTHA.]
+
+"The circle on the pavement," said the custodian, "marks the place
+where Peter stood with the soldiers, warming his hands by the little
+fire which they had kindled in a brazier, when he was accused by the
+maid of being a companion and follower of the Prisoner then on trial
+before the High Priest. The stone pillar that you see in the courtyard
+of the palace is the stone on which the cock was perched when its
+crowing quickened Peter's memory, softened his heart, and brought bitter
+tears to his eyes."
+
+After leaving the palace we followed the guide through a rough narrow
+street to a view point on the wall. Far below us lay the Valley of
+Jehoshaphat, the village of Siloam, and the site of the pool to which
+Jesus sent the blind man to wash.
+
+"The walk to the pool through the rough and crooked streets would be
+difficult now for a man with good sight," remarked one of the tourists,
+"how much more so would it be to a blind man groping his way."
+
+Permission to visit the Temple Area, or Haram, as it is called by the
+Moslems, had been obtained from the Turkish authorities by the payment
+of heavy fees. We proceeded to that place on foot accompanied by the
+dragoman. At the gate of the Area the authorities furnished Moslem
+guides to conduct the visitors through the enclosure, and sent Turkish
+soldiers to accompany the party to restrain any possible irreverent or
+unseemly conduct while within the holy precincts.
+
+[Illustration: I. WITHIN THE TEMPLE AREA.]
+
+[Illustration: II. THE AREA EXTENDS OVER THIRTY-FIVE ACRES.]
+
+"The Temple Area, which probably covers the place where was once the
+Court of the Temple," explained the dragoman, as we halted within the
+grounds, "is thirty-five acres in extent, about one thousand feet wide
+by two thousand feet in length, and is surrounded by high walls. It is
+revered by the Moslems as one of their most holy places. This is the
+Mount Moriah hallowed by the sacrifices of Abraham, glorified by the
+prayers of King David, consecrated by the Temple of Solomon, and made
+additionally sacred by the ascension of the Prophet of Allah. The
+Moslems forbid the entrance of Jews into the Haram, although the Jews
+have as great reverence for the place as the Moslems."
+
+In the centre of the Area, on a raised embankment or platform, paved
+with marble slabs, stood a handsome octagonal building covered below the
+window line with marbles of various hues and above that line by
+decorated tiles of blue-and-white porcelain edged with green. As we
+stood on the marble pavement and gazed at the tiling mellowed by age,
+and at the round lead-covered dome above, the guide continued his
+explanations.
+
+"This edifice, called by the Moslems the Dome of the Rock," said he,
+"but better known as the Mosque of Omar, is built on the site of the
+Temple of Herod, and also on the site of the Temple of Solomon, which
+preceded that of Herod. Each side of the octagon is sixty-six feet in
+length, and the top of the dome is one hundred and fifteen feet above
+this platform."
+
+Underneath a small pavilion at the entrance, attendants laced slippers
+to our feet and then conducted us into the Mosque. On the floor lay
+precious Oriental rugs. Overhead in the dome, the light entered through
+richly stained glass windows, tinting and beautifying the interior and
+disclosing the mosaic decorations of the ceiling and the Arabic
+inscriptions on the walls. At one side was an exquisitely carved wooden
+pulpit inlaid with ivory and mother-of-pearl. In the centre of the
+Mosque a great rock, at least fifty feet long and almost as wide, rose
+to the height of our heads. A beautifully designed, gilded and bronzed
+iron railing prevented infidel fingers from touching the rock.
+
+[Illustration: WE WILL TAKE THE PICTURE AND INCLUDE THE TURKS IN IT.]
+
+"This mountain-top, the crown of Mount Moriah," said the Moslem
+dragoman, as we stood reverently before it, "is the place where the arm
+of Abraham was stayed as he lifted the knife to slay his son. This rock,
+in David's time, was the threshing floor of Araunah, whose oxen
+trampled out the grain upon it until the time when King David purchased
+the land and built here an altar to the Lord. When King Solomon erected
+the temple upon the site prepared and dedicated by his father David,
+this Holy Rock became the altar upon which the priests of the temple
+offered sacrifices. When Mohammed, the Prophet of God, took his flight
+to Heaven he rose from this sanctified place, which is nearer to Heaven
+than any other spot on earth, leaving as a memorial the impression of
+his foot which you now see there in the rock. The print of the hand in
+the rock near the footprint was made by the angel Gabriel when he
+prevented the rock from following the Prophet in his ascent."
+
+At the foot of the flight of steps which the tourists descended on their
+way from the marble platform of the Dome of the Rock to the Mosque of El
+Aksa, the tourists encountered Turkish photographers, who, hoping that
+the Americans would gladly make use of their services, had been
+patiently awaiting their arrival. But the tourists were well supplied
+with their own outfits, and these amateurs, disdaining the offered
+professional services, secured snapshots themselves.
+
+"What!" said one of the amateurs indignantly, "let the Turks take us?
+No! let some of the party stay on the steps and we will take the picture
+and include the Turks in it."
+
+While returning through the extensive grounds of the Haram, one of the
+tourists lighted a pipe. Immediately a Moslem guard approached and with
+unintelligible words, made it known by his frowning face and threatening
+gestures, that the pipe must be extinguished.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE.
+
+
+The floor of the vast Church of the Holy Sepulchre is below the level of
+Christian Street. We descended to the church through a narrow alley
+about a hundred feet in length, which by slopes and steps led downward.
+On each side of this alley peddlers had stands for the sale of beads,
+rosaries, crucifixes, candles, and souvenirs, which they earnestly
+besought the visitors to buy. The church is so surrounded by other
+buildings that it could not be seen until we arrived at the foot of the
+alley, where a few steps to the left led down to a wide stone paved
+court. Even then only the rough stone facade and the top of the dome
+were visible. The door was guarded by Turkish soldiers, but they did not
+object to our entrance.
+
+Within the Church, in the centre of the vestibule, we paused beside a
+marble slab six feet in length, elevated slightly above the stone floor.
+A canopy overspread the marble and at the sides of the canopy stood six
+immense ornamented silver candlesticks rising higher than our heads. In
+these were tall candles.
+
+"This is the Stone of Unction," said the guide. "On this marble the body
+of Jesus lay while it was anointed for burial. Two of these candlesticks
+belong to the Greek Church, two to the Armenian Church, and two to the
+Latin Church. In this holy edifice each religious sect claims the
+privilege of taking part in the worship and in the care of the sacred
+places."
+
+Not far from the vestibule the guide halted, and pointing to a circle on
+the stone floor, said: "This circle marks the place where the Mother of
+Jesus stood at the time of the anointing."
+
+The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, we ascertained, is composed of many
+parts. A rotunda, sixty-six feet in diameter, occupies the center. Above
+this rises the dome, supported by eighteen large piers. On one side of
+this round room, an opening leads into a Greek church; on the other
+side, entrances between the piers lead into small chapels. Grouped
+around outside of these, but connected with the central rotunda, church,
+and small chapels, are other chapels, rooms, and sacred places, the
+whole covering a space of over two acres. In the centre of the rotunda,
+directly underneath the dome, stands a small marble building twenty-six
+feet long by eighteen feet broad, richly decorated with carvings,
+inscriptions, and figures of angels. At one end of this building there
+is a small door guarded by huge bronze candlesticks ten feet in height
+and over-hung with gold and silver lamps of curious oriental design.
+Three golden crosses surmount the front of this miniature building: one
+of Greek form furnished by the Greek Church; one of Roman form, by the
+Latins; and one of the Syrian shape, by the Armenians.
+
+"This small building," said the guide, "encloses the place of the
+Sepulchre. The interior is divided into two parts. The first you will
+enter is the Chapel of the Angel. The Tomb of the Savior is in the
+second part."
+
+[Illustration: I. ENTRANCE TO THE CHURCH OF THE SEPULCHRE.]
+
+[Illustration: II. THE VIA DOLOROSA.]
+
+Passing between the lines of huge candlesticks and underneath the
+clusters of overhanging lamps, we entered the small doorway and were in
+the Chapel of the Angel. In the centre of this small room stands the
+stone upon which, the guide said, the angel sat after rolling it away
+from the entrance to the Savior's tomb. Stooping low we passed singly
+through the narrow opening to the tomb. This is a small chamber about
+six feet square, the floor and walls of which are covered with white
+marble. At the right hand side of the tomb a marble slab about two feet
+wide extends the length of the chamber. This marble is much worn by the
+millions of kisses that have been tearfully and reverently pressed upon
+it by the pilgrims of many centuries. Two score of golden lamps,
+continually burning overhead, shed a soft but brilliant light upon the
+tomb. Our visit to the interior of the tomb was short; for not more than
+five persons may stand in it at one time, and other pilgrims from
+other lands were waiting their turn to enter.
+
+[Illustration: A CRUST IN HER HAND, A GRIN ON HER FACE.]
+
+[Illustration: WE WALKED THROUGH THE NARROW VIA DOLOROSA.]
+
+For a small fee the local guides provided us with tapers, for some of
+the chapels and grottoes within the vast cluster of the buildings of the
+church were dark, and in the gloomy recesses the holy places could not
+be seen without a light. In the dark grotto of the Syrian chapel our
+tapers shed a dim light on two tombs, which the guide said were those of
+Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.
+
+"This is the Chapel of the Apparition," explained the guide, after
+leading us to another part of the church. "Here the Lord appeared to
+Mary, His mother, after the Resurrection. In a niche beside the high
+altar is a hole in the wall. If you hold your taper up to it you may see
+within the wall a part of the column to which the Savior was bound
+during the Flagellation. You may touch the sacred column with this round
+stick, provided for the purpose, if you wish to do so. The stick, being
+worn smooth by the numberless kisses that have been pressed upon it by
+the pilgrims after touching the holy column, can do it no harm."
+
+In a vestibule outside the chapel a star in the marble floor marks the
+place where Christ appeared to Mary Magdalene after the Resurrection,
+and a second star a few feet beyond marks the spot where Mary stood when
+she recognized the risen Lord.
+
+We passed from the rotunda into the Church of the Crusaders or Greek
+Church, through a wide opening directly opposite the door of the Holy
+Sepulchre. In this large chapel the walls and ceilings, the seats of
+the choir, the high altar, and the seat of the Patriarch in the rear
+of the altar, are composed of precious woods beautifully carved and
+ornamented with gold and silver and jewels. Hundreds of superb golden
+and silver lamps, varying in form and design, hang suspended from the
+ceiling at various heights. In the centre of the chapel, standing in the
+middle of a fancifully designed circle on the checkered marble floor, is
+an urn containing a marble ball.
+
+[Illustration: THE VERY STONES HIS SACRED FEET HAVE PRESSED.]
+
+"This ball marks the centre of the world," explained the guide, as we
+halted beside the urn. "About eight centuries ago certain wise and holy
+men ascertained, by calculation or by inspiration, that this spot is the
+exact centre of the world. It was marked in this manner so that the
+pilgrims coming here from all parts of the earth might see it and carry
+the knowledge of the wonderful discovery back with them to their various
+countries."
+
+Beyond the Greek Chapel we descended, by aid of our burning tapers, a
+flight of thirty stone steps to the ancient, dimly-lit Chapel of St.
+Helena.
+
+"When the Empress Helena was inspired to search for the true cross,"
+said the guide, "she employed workmen to excavate here. There is the
+seat on which she sat while superintending the search, and there below
+us is the excavation in which she found the three crosses, the crown of
+thorns, the nails, and the inscription."
+
+We peered into the darkness below but could see only a gloomy hole about
+eight feet deep and twenty feet across, a short flight of steps cut in
+the rock, and an altar at one side.
+
+[Illustration: THE OLD STREET OF SORROW LIES BURIED TWENTY FEET BELOW.]
+
+Reascending to the main floor, we halted at the Chapel of the Mocking.
+There the guide showed us the stone upon which the Jews made Jesus sit
+while they crowned Him with thorns. The guide then led the way up a
+flight of steps to the Chapel of Golgotha, which is within the great
+structure of the church but upon the summit of a rock fifteen feet
+higher than the main floor. At one side of this chapel, where the rock
+itself projects slightly above the floor, a figure of the Christ in
+dying agony is suspended upon the cross, and at the foot of the cross
+stand the figures of Mary, His mother, and St. John, both dejected and
+sorrowful. These figures appear to be made of gold and silver. The
+crowns on their heads are covered with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and
+other precious stones. A hole in the rock surrounded by a gold plate
+marks the place where the original cross stood. On the right and left
+are the holes where stood the crosses of the thieves. A movable gold
+plate covers the crevice in the rock caused by the earthquake. In this
+chapel the pictures on the walls are encircled with diamonds and other
+precious stones. Adjoining this room is the Chapel of the Crucifixion,
+where, as the guide informed us, Christ was nailed to the cross, and
+close by is the place where the Virgin Mary stood during the
+Crucifixion.
+
+Descending a flight of steps to the main floor, we entered a small
+cavern-like chamber.
+
+"This," said the guide, "is the Tomb of Adam, and the little chapel
+beyond is the Tomb of Melchizedek."
+
+When one of the ladies, doubting the truth of these traditions,
+excitedly began to remonstrate with the guide, a clergyman in the party
+said to her: "It is not worth while to enter into a dispute with the
+guide. You cannot convince him that his assertions are incorrect. Let us
+leave the topic for discussion in the evening when we cannot go out
+sight-seeing."
+
+We departed from the Church of the Sepulchre with the intention of
+returning without a guide to inspect portions of the building more
+leisurely. Preceded by the guide, we walked through the narrow Via
+Dolorosa, pausing a moment at each of the fourteen stations, which mark
+the location of the historical and traditional events that occurred in
+the street of sorrow. After the guide had explained the route, one of
+the tourists devoutly said: "Little did I think a year ago that I should
+walk along the very path that has been stained by the blood drops of the
+Savior on His way to the Cross, and tread perhaps on the very stones
+that His sacred feet have pressed."
+
+[Illustration: AT THE ENTRANCE TO SOLOMON'S QUARRIES.]
+
+A few minutes later we were admitted to a convent on the Via Dolorosa.
+One of the gray-gowned nuns, after exhibiting and offering for sale
+laces and embroideries made by the sisters, led us to an excavation in
+the rear of the convent. There a courteous Abbess met us, and said: "The
+excavation made here uncovered a part of the original Via Dolorosa. The
+old way lies buried twenty feet below the level of the modern street
+known by that name, and at this place is one hundred feet to the right
+of the one on which you were walking."
+
+"You must bear in mind the history of Jerusalem," continued the Abbess
+in reply to our questions. "Forty years after the Crucifixion Titus
+captured the city, demolished the buildings, and slaughtered the
+inhabitants. Jerusalem became 'heaps' and a 'desolation' as predicted by
+the holy prophets. For a century thereafter a village of huts built upon
+the ruins occupied the site of the city; then the idolatrous Emperor
+Hadrian rebuilt the city, laying out the streets to suit his pagan
+ideas, and for two centuries it was a pagan city whose people were
+devoted to the worship of strange gods and regarded not the sacred
+places. Three hundred years after the Ascension of our Savior, the
+blessed St. Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine, made a pilgrimage
+from Constantinople to Jerusalem. Inspired with holy zeal, she gave
+orders for the erection of churches on the sites of the Nativity at
+Bethlehem and the Ascension at Olivet. She prayerfully sought for the
+sacred tomb in which the Lord had been laid, and her efforts were
+rewarded by the finding of the true cross. She cleared away the
+accumulated rubbish and built the chapel on the holy ground, and that
+chapel has grown into the great Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Afterwards
+the locations of the events on the way to the cross were marked on the
+modern street to correspond as nearly as possible to the places on the
+ancient street which lay buried many feet below. The finding of a part
+of the true Via Dolorosa in the excavation within our enclosure has been
+a blessing to the convent."
+
+[Illustration: WITH FACE TURNED TO THE WALL, KISSING IT AND MUTTERING
+PRAYERS.]
+
+The Abbess deserved and received more than spoken thanks for her
+courtesy. We realized then the truth of her last words.
+
+During our walk we visited an old Armenian church, which was gaudily
+decorated with red brocade hangings and very antiquated paintings
+quaintly representing scenes from Bible history. In the court-yard of
+the church a young Armenian kindly offered us a pitcher of water, which
+he said had been brought from a spring outside the city for the use of
+the monks in the adjoining convent. We received it most gratefully, for
+the drinking water of Jerusalem is noted for impurity, and, as we had
+been cautioned against it, we had abstained from drinking water for
+three days.
+
+"Will it be difficult for the tourists to find their way through the
+narrow crooked streets of the city without a guide?" inquired one of the
+ladies of the dragoman at the noon hour.
+
+"Oh no!" he replied. "Please open your map. I notice you have one. You
+see that the city is divided into four marked sections by the two
+principal streets which cross each other at right angles: David street
+extending from the Jaffa Gate at the west, through the center of the
+city, to the Temple Area at the east; and Damascus street extending from
+the Damascus Gate on the north, through the center of the city, to the
+Zion Gate on the south. The bazaars and little stores that tourists
+visit are on these two streets, on Christian street near the Church of
+the Holy Sepulchre, and in the vicinity of the Jaffa Gate. The Church of
+the Holy Sepulchre is in the north-west section of the city, known as
+the Christian Quarter; the Via Dolorosa passes through the north-east
+section, called the Moslem Quarter; the Temple Area is on the east side;
+the Wailing Place of the Jews is near the south-west corner of the
+Temple Area, in the south-east or Jewish Quarter; and the Citadel is in
+the south-west of Armenian Quarter. Jerusalem is not a large city. David
+Street is only half a mile in length, and Damascus Street from the gate
+on the north to the gate on the south is but three-fourths of a mile
+long."
+
+"This afternoon," said the guide at the noon hour on Friday, "those of
+you who desire to do so may go with me to the Wailing Place of the Jews.
+The Turkish authorities do not permit Jews to enter the Temple Area so
+the Jews, on Friday afternoons, congregate in a narrow court, outside
+and adjoining the western wall which encloses the Temple Area, to mourn
+over the downfall of their beloved Zion and pray for the return of
+Jewish dominion over the land of their fathers, and for the renewal of
+the ancient glory of the City of David."
+
+When we arrived at the Wailing Place, we found about a hundred Jewish
+men, women, and children assembled in the court, with faces turned to
+the wall, the men at one end of the court, the women at the other. Some
+of the mourners pressed their faces against the wall, kissing it and
+muttering prayers; some, as the guide explained to us, were reading the
+Talmud; some reciting verses from the Lamentations of Jeremiah; and some
+chanting the penitential Psalms of David. Others we saw weeping, the
+tears running down their faces, while one or two looked around with
+curious gaze at the strangers.
+
+[Illustration: PITIED THOSE MISERABLE LEPERS AT THE GATE.]
+
+Thence we returned through portions of the Mohammedan and Jewish
+quarters of the city. The narrow streets through which we passed,--if
+passage-ways ten feet wide may be called streets,--are lined with little
+stores. The stocks of provisions, groceries, bread, vegetables, and
+general merchandise for native consumption are displayed in the open
+fronts of the shallow store-rooms and the proprietors sit or stand
+outside waiting for customers, like huge spiders waiting for their prey,
+or with loud voices and many gesticulations bargain with the buyers.
+
+The streets of the Mohammedan Quarter are filthy; those of the Jewish
+Quarter are worse.
+
+"Are these alleys ever swept or cleaned?" inquired one of the disgusted
+visitors.
+
+"Oh, yes!" answered the guide, "the city, being built on the hills, has
+a natural drainage. Whenever there is a heavy rain the flowing water
+washes the streets."
+
+"Well," said the visitor, "the city of Constantinople has the reputation
+of being the filthiest city in Europe, but it has a brigade of canine
+street cleaners to assist the rainfalls in cleaning the thoroughfares.
+If the city of Jerusalem were in Europe, it could easily claim the
+leading place in respect to filth; for dogs are few here and heavy rains
+do not appear to be frequent."
+
+The tramp through these quarters was not agreeable to any of the senses.
+The ears were annoyed with the jargon of many dialects; the harsh voices
+of the natives, the loud exclamations of the dealers, and the whining
+cries of the beggars for backsheesh. The eyes were offended by the sight
+of the crowds of dirty beggars, who stretched out hands in appeal and
+tried to clutch the garments of the tourists with their dirty fingers,
+until disgust drove away all feelings of pity. The odors from the foul
+thoroughfares, from the messes of soft cheese and mixtures of eatables
+offered for sale, from the discarded and decaying cauliflower leaves
+under neath the stalls, from the pipes of Turkish tobacco, and from the
+donkeys and unbathed human beings with whom the tourists came in close
+contact, were inhaled with loathing. The uneven, stone-cobbled paving of
+the narrow streets without sidewalks, the steps up and down the grades,
+and the slippery condition of the muddy surface when wet caused weary
+feet.
+
+"I will not give away another piaster," exclaimed a lady whose purse had
+been drawn upon frequently during our tramp. "I never met such
+disagreeable beggars. There were many beggars in other cities, but they
+did not whine and display their dirty rags so disgustingly as these do.
+I pitied those miserable lepers at the gate, but when I threw them some
+money they crowded around and tried to touch me with their diseased
+hands, instead of keeping at a distance and crying, 'Unclean! Unclean!'"
+
+The beggars were the most objectionable feature of the city; they
+persisted in following visitors and it was almost impossible to drive
+them away. When rid of one lot, others soon took their place. Repulsive
+cripples insisted on calling attention to their deformities; sore-eyed
+children clamored for assistance; and little tots with dirty,
+fly-covered faces, shrilly prattled "Backsheesh." The streets were full
+of these wretched creatures; they congregated near the sacred places and
+there the clamor was so annoying that the tourists had little
+opportunity for contemplation until they were inside the buildings and
+away from the beggars' entreaties.
+
+[Illustration: PILGRIMS FROM EVERY QUARTER OF THE GLOBE.]
+
+We made several visits to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in order to
+observe the people; to view quietly and leisurely the gorgeous
+decorations, especially those in the Greek Chapel where each visit
+disclosed new beauties; and to see the jewels, precious gems, and
+pictures encircled in diamonds, in the Chapel of Golgotha.
+
+[Illustration: PASSED OUT THROUGH THE DAMASCUS GATE.]
+
+During one of these visits we sat for awhile on a bench by the wall of
+the church not far from the entrance to the Sepulchre. It was
+interesting to note the diversity of costumes and to watch the
+difference in the behavior of the tourists and pilgrims of the various
+nationalities.
+
+[Illustration: I. FIELDS WERE COVERED WITH STONES.]
+
+[Illustration: II. FAR BELOW LAY THE VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT.]
+
+"Notice that Russian group," said a companion as a party of Russian
+pilgrims entered the church.
+
+These people from the North, long-haired, heavy-bearded, long-booted,
+heavy-coated men, and short-frocked, heavy-shod women had come there, we
+could plainly see, on a holy pilgrimage to the tomb of their Savior,
+believing and trusting in the reality of everything they saw. At the
+Stone of Unction they prostrated themselves and kissed the stone slab,
+and as they rose we could see the shaggy-bearded men wiping away the
+tears with their rough hands. Then, with uncovered heads, they slowly
+approached the entrance to the Sepulchre, bowed down, crossed
+themselves, knelt inside, and after kissing the marble tomb, backed out,
+bowing and crossing themselves until well away from the tomb.
+
+"The people of other nationalities outwardly show more reverence for the
+sacred places than do those of our own country," commented my companion.
+"The guards have just censured that group of Americans on the other side
+of the room. I could not hear what was said, but the actions of the
+guards spoke louder than words, and I noticed that the loud talking
+ceased at once."
+
+The party of Americans came laughing and chatting toward the Sepulchre
+and entered the tomb without any appearance of reverence in their
+manner,--a striking contrast to the devout Russian pilgrims. Other
+Americans, however, following, entered the tomb silently, and came out
+with a look of awe upon their faces. One of these told us that he had
+placed some postal cards and letters on the tomb to be blessed by
+contact with it before mailing them to his friends. Another had taken
+some bunches of flowers and laid them on the tomb for the same purpose
+before pressing them for souvenirs. A party of Germans stood near us for
+awhile, apparently arguing in low tones over some statement of the
+guide, and then quietly and with uncovered heads advanced and entered
+the Sepulchre. Some Italians knelt for a long time before the door, and
+Africans, Greeks, and natives of countries unknown to us, bowed or
+crossed their foreheads or breasts before the entrance. No other
+nationality, however, showed such zeal and intensity of feeling as did
+the Russian peasants.
+
+On Saturday afternoon we visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre to be
+present at the special service held on that day. We found that the
+number of guards at the door had been doubled, and that companies of
+armed Turkish soldiers had been stationed within to preserve order in
+the assembled throng of sight-seers and worshipers and to keep a
+passage-way open through which the expected processions might pass.
+Pushing our way through the crowd we obtained a good position behind
+some Syrian women and children who, attired in gala costumes, held
+unlighted candles in their hands. At the Place of Sepulchre the oriental
+lamps above the door and the candles in the huge candlesticks had been
+lighted for the special service, brilliantly illuminating the marble
+front of that small building and bringing into clear relief every detail
+of the carved ornamentation. In the Greek Chapel the golden lamps and
+the candles at the altar were burning, and the chapel was ablaze with
+reflected glory.
+
+"They are coming," whispered some one as the tramping of feet on the
+stone floor was heard.
+
+A procession of Greek priests in gorgeous garments, swinging censers of
+smoking incense and bearing aloft a golden cross, marched to the
+Sepulchre, made obeisance there, then proceeded slowly around the
+building several times and entered the Greek Chapel where a short
+service was held. After the Greeks had left the building, a procession
+of Armenian priests appeared clad in black silk robes and peculiar
+looking black silk hoods draped over their heads. They were led by a
+venerable Patriarch arrayed in a magnificent embroidered robe. The
+Patriarch knelt and kissed the Stone of Unction, then the procession
+marched singing to the Sepulchre, which they entered, two priests at a
+time. After this part of the ceremony was concluded the priests marched
+singing three times around the room, while a bell in the gallery merrily
+clanged an accompaniment. When the Armenians had withdrawn, a procession
+of Roman Catholics entered singing. The chanting was accompanied softly
+by an organ in an adjoining chapel. The censer bearers waved their
+smoking bowls until the whole place was fragrant with the odor of the
+incense. Tonsured monks with sandaled feet, in gowns of brown, girt with
+hempen cord; censer bearers, cross bearers, brazier bearers, and choir
+boys in white embroidered surplices and skirts of scarlet; priests in
+black; bishops in purple; and higher dignitaries in capes of fur and
+long-trained robes,--all these marched round and round bearing lighted
+candles and chanting the ritual to the strains of the organ, and then
+proceeded toward the Latin Chapel. Our Syrian neighbor and her children
+lighted their candles and joined other worshipers with candles in the
+rear of this procession, and we followed to the Chapel where all knelt
+for service.
+
+[Illustration: DAVID STREET IS ONLY HALF A MILE IN LENGTH.]
+
+Palestine appeared to us to be a land where history and tradition were
+so curiously mixed that it was difficult to know where history ended and
+tradition began. During our tramps around the city of Jerusalem and its
+vicinity the guides pointed out the spring where the Virgin Mary washed
+the clothes of the infant Jesus in the same way that we saw other women
+in the East washing clothes on the banks of public streams; the hill of
+evil counsel where the avaricious disciple had been tempted by gold to
+betray his Master, and the field where the horror-stricken traitor ended
+his life; the place just without the Gate of St. Stephen where the
+sainted Stephen knelt and prayed for his persecutors until the stones
+cast by the infuriated Jews crushed out his life; the spot where the
+Apostle James was beheaded, commemorated by the church of St. James
+which now stands on that location; the large room outside the Zion Gate
+in which the Lord washed the disciples' feet and partook of the Last
+Supper; the tomb of the wayward, long-haired Absalom, and the mausoleum
+that covers the resting-place of his father, King David; the footprint
+of Jesus in the rock and the hole made by His staff on the Mount of
+Olives; the imprints of the Savior's feet in the rocky floor made during
+the time of the scourging; the site of the house in which the Virgin
+lived with the disciple John after the Crucifixion.
+
+Palestine was noted in olden times as a land flowing with milk and
+honey. At the Casa Nova we drank of the milk, the milk of the
+black-haired goats that fed along the hillsides, and ate of the honey,
+which was of delicious flavor. The Syrian waiters who served our meals
+and also cared for our bedrooms were picturesquely dressed in long gowns
+of blue striped material falling to their ankles, and encircled with
+bright sashes, and these men at all times, whether making beds or
+serving tables, wore on their heads the red fez of Turkish subjects. The
+managers of the Hospice, the Franciscan monks, wore the garb in which
+the monks of that order are always seen, brown gown, rope girdle, rosary
+with pendant cross, and sandals.
+
+On Sunday a cold rain fell during the day, making it unpleasant for
+sight-seeing and confining the travelers to the house during most of the
+day.
+
+"How disappointing this is to be kept in the house by the rain,"
+exclaimed a discontented tourist while watching the rain drops glide
+down the window-pane.
+
+"Have you thought," said another who was busily engaged with guide-book
+and pencil, "that until to-day not one unpleasant day has interfered
+with our trip? The temperature has been neither uncomfortably warm nor
+disagreeably cold, but just delightful for the exertion of
+sight-seeing."
+
+The tourists having made a request for some heat in the house, one of
+the gowned Arab servants carried a brazier into the reception room,
+placed a handful of charcoal in it and lighted a fire. As we gathered
+around the little fire trying to warm our hands, one could realize the
+scene many centuries ago, in the Palace of Caiaphas, when the soldiers
+coming in at midnight from the cold hills, kindled a fire in the midst
+of the hall, and Peter, shivering from cold and fear, joined the group
+around the brazier to warm himself.
+
+"I have been trying for the past three days," remarked an elderly
+clergyman, "to realize that these bare hills were once 'a land flowing
+with milk and honey,' producing 'grapes, pomegranates, and figs' in
+abundance. To-day I have been thinking of the changes that the tempests
+of a few short years have made in the hills of my own native state, New
+Hampshire, since the rapacious lumber-men have been denuding our
+mountains of the forests. There, the unprotected soil is being washed
+away by the heavy rains, gulleys have been formed, the brooks have
+diminished or dried up, and the part of our once beautiful White
+Mountains that has been cut over is desolate indeed. Now, since thinking
+of the changes that have occurred in a decade at home. I can more fully
+realize the changes that centuries have made here.
+
+"Looking backward," said he, "I can see more clearly in my mind the
+picture that David saw with the eye of an artist, and described with the
+heart of a poet, when these bare, gray, rocky, treeless hills were
+crowned with forests that protected the soil from the beating storms;
+when these slopes, now furrowed with gulleys and spread with stones,
+were covered with orchards and clad with verdure, where the flocks might
+'lie down midst pastures of tender grass;' and when these dried up
+waterways were purling brooks, where the flocks were 'led beside the
+waters of quietness.' I believe that David's description of this country
+was a true picture of the land as it appeared then. 'Thou waterest the
+ridges thereof abundantly; thou settlest the furrows thereof; thou
+makest it soft with showers; thou blessest the springing thereof. The
+pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over
+with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.'"
+
+[Illustration: WHEN THESE BARE HILLS WERE COVERED WITH ORCHARDS AND CLAD
+WITH VERDURE.]
+
+"In those days the vicinity of Jerusalem was beautiful with palm trees,"
+continued the clergyman, "and the City of Palms was but fifteen miles
+away. Now the City of Palms is a squalid, unhealthful village, and in
+the vicinity of Jerusalem it is difficult to obtain a leaf of the palm."
+
+The low spirits caused by the drizzling rain during our last evening in
+the Sacred City were increased by telegraphic news received from Jaffa.
+The telegram stated that the weather was stormy and the waves running
+high, and that if the sea did not subside we might not be able to
+embark. This information caused considerable anxiety among the timid
+members of the party and many surmises were made as to the developments
+of the following day. As usual, all the arrangements for our departure
+had been carefully made in advance by our managers. We were notified
+that the Syrian bell boys would waken us at five o'clock, and our
+baggage must be ready at five-thirty; breakfast would be served at six
+o'clock; the carriages would be at the Jaffa Gate at six-thirty; and the
+train would leave the Jerusalem station at seven.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+CAIRO AND THE PYRAMIDS.
+
+
+On Monday morning, after enjoying our usual breakfast at the Casa Nova
+of boiled eggs, rolls and pure honey, good coffee, and delicious
+oranges, we bade farewell to our tonsured hosts and the staff of gowned
+attendants. The carriages were waiting near the Jaffa Gate to convey us
+to the station. The train moved off promptly at the appointed hour, and
+looking backward, we took our farewell glimpse of the Tower of David and
+the yellow walls of the Holy City.
+
+During the three hours' ride to Jaffa the threatening clouds passed
+away, the sun re-appeared, the rough winds changed to soft breezes, and
+our depressed spirits rose correspondingly. By the time the orange
+groves in the suburbs of Jaffa came into sight, the tourists were in a
+gay and cheerful humor. But when we arrived at the pier of Jaffa, we
+discovered that the sea still felt the effects of the gale. The surf was
+rolling high and the angry waves were breaking violently over the
+ugly-looking rocks in the harbor, hiding them for an instant from view
+and sending the snowy spray high into the air. As we looked out toward
+the Moltke riding at anchor a mile away, many of the gay faces became
+sober. The boatmen holding the tossing boats to the pier urged us to
+embark.
+
+  "But timorous mortals start and shrink to cross the narrow sea,
+  And linger trembling on the brink and fear to launch away"
+
+"Oh, I cannot venture! Go without me! Leave me behind!" exclaimed one of
+the ladies, trembling and almost fainting through fear. "Those black
+rocks momentarily emerging and disappearing seem like the heads of
+terrible monsters waiting to devour us as soon as we come within their
+reach."
+
+"Do not be alarmed," said one of the officials on the pier,
+encouragingly. "The sea, as you say, has a threatening look, but I
+assure you that if there were any danger we would not permit you to
+attempt the passage. These Syrian boatmen have been carrying passengers
+for years and know every rock in the harbor. They brought the Damascus
+tourists from the Moltke without mishap this morning when the sea was
+rougher than now. Trust the boatmen and you will soon be safely on board
+the steamer."
+
+As our boat in its passage over the stormy billows plunged downward into
+the trough of the sea, and horizon, ship, and land were hidden from
+view, we thought that the uplifted, on-coming crests of the waves would
+engulf the boat beneath them; but, expertly handled by the trained
+rowers, the craft rose with each immense surge and safely passed the
+breakers. The Syrian boatmen, who had been continually chanting their
+hymns to Allah while plying their oars, suddenly stopped singing.
+
+"Bachsheesh! Backsheesh!" they cried, ceasing to row, while one of them,
+doffing his fez, passed it around the boat for contributions. The
+passengers, grateful for safety, dropped their coins into the fez;
+again the oars were put in motion, the chant was resumed, and in a few
+minutes the boats were alongside the vessel.
+
+[Illustration: SHE WAS WASHING CLOTHES IN THE CANAL.]
+
+Then came the difficulty of getting on board the steamer; for the little
+boat lay underneath the platform at the foot of the ship's ladder,
+tossed by the billows. As each heaving swell, however, bore the boat
+upward, two sturdy seamen on the platform, reaching down, grasped a
+passenger's arms and drew him up while the boatmen assisted from
+underneath. In this way, one with each wave, the tourists safely
+embarked. The passage from the pier to the steamer affected the tourists
+in various ways: many were frightened, notwithstanding the assertion of
+the official that the dangers were more apparent than real; others were
+exhilarated by the tossing waves and enjoyed the thrilling experience.
+
+"I was so interested in watching the muscular development of the boatmen
+as they pulled at the oars, and in admiring the dexterity and skill with
+which they managed the boat, that I did not think of danger," remarked a
+man who had been stroke oar on a college crew.
+
+While the tourists were being transferred to the ship, the band on deck
+was playing "Home, Sweet Home," and the Captain and other officers
+standing at the head of the stairway gave a friendly greeting to the
+wanderers as they came on board.
+
+"It is pleasant to be welcomed back in this friendly manner," remarked
+one of the ramblers to another as they entered their cabin, "and then it
+is so homelike here in our stateroom, with our photographs and
+nick-nacks pinned around the walls."
+
+[Illustration: BELOW THE CITADEL WE SAW AN OPEN-AIR MARKET.]
+
+A busy afternoon of re-packing followed the departure from Jaffa, for on
+the following day the tourists were to leave the steamer at Alexandria
+to remain twelve days in Egypt. Clothing that was considered suitable
+for the climate of that warmer region was carefully selected and
+condensed into the smaller receptacles, and every article that the
+tourists supposed would not be required was left in the staterooms.
+
+On Tuesday morning, March tenth, at seven o'clock, the Moltke was
+anchored in the commodious port of Alexandria, which is enclosed by long
+stone breakwaters that have been built into the sea to protect the
+harbor. Many vessels were at the docks or at anchor in the port, and a
+handsome white yacht flying the imperial flag of Germany lay within a
+stone's throw of our steamer.
+
+"The Crown Prince of the German Empire is visiting Egypt and that is his
+yacht," said one of the officers.
+
+The morning was bright and clear. It was a delight to breathe the warm
+salt air and feel its invigoration. Overhead the sky was brilliantly
+blue and the sea reflected it in various hues.
+
+"Did you ever see such wonderful coloring on the waters of sea or
+river?" asked an enthusiastic beholder. "Near by the sea sparkles in the
+morning sunlight in azure and olive and darkens into sapphire and
+emerald, and there beyond the breakwater it changes to tints of violet
+and purple. I have heard that the colors of the Mediterranean are
+beautiful; now I know they are."
+
+The row boats that were to carry us ashore gathered around the steamer.
+The bare-footed boatmen, with faces of various shades from light yellow
+to intense black, were attired in red fez, white bloomers, and long
+red sweaters.
+
+[Illustration: AT THE NILE BRIDGE WE WAITED FOR THE DRAW TO CLOSE.]
+
+At the custom house on the dock the custom officials accepted the
+statement of the managers that the baggage of the tourists contained
+nothing dutiable, and the baggage was passed without examination. A
+special train was on the pier ready to convey the party to Cairo.
+Beggars and peddlers attempted to approach the train to ask alms or sell
+their wares, but were driven away with whips by black Nubian soldiers in
+dark blue uniforms, who appeared to take delight in snapping at the bare
+legs of the intruders.
+
+It was just noon when our train, the second special section, moved out
+of Alexandria through long rows of large warehouses; for Alexandria is
+the chief seaport of Egypt and exports the cotton, grain, sugar, rice,
+and other productions of the valley of the Nile. As the train passed
+rapidly southward through the delta of the Nile, we realized that we
+were in a land entirely different from any that we had previously
+visited. The trip of one hundred and thirty miles to Cairo will be
+remembered by the tourists as a panoramic succession of interesting
+pictures of agricultural life. The land on both sides of the railway was
+a black, sandy loam, level almost as a floor, intersected and broken
+only by the canals and irrigation ditches. For some distance out of
+Alexandria the Mahmudiyeh canal was in sight.
+
+"There is a scene that is familiar to me!" exclaimed one of the party.
+"A landscape hanging in the art gallery of our city represents the light
+blue water of a canal mirroring tufted palms and wing-like sails. It
+was painted by a noted artist, who has successfully reproduced many
+beautiful Egyptian views."
+
+[Illustration: "WANT A GUIDE? WANT A GUIDE?" THEY INQUIRED.]
+
+Nile boats with breeze-filled canvas, caravans of camels on the
+embankment of the canal, and trains of donkeys laden with marketing for
+the city by the sea, seemed stationary as we rushed by. The land
+appeared to be thoroughly cultivated. There were no fences or waste
+corners in sight. Every foot of workable ground was utilized for raising
+crops.
+
+[Illustration: EACH ARAB'S CART CONTAINED HIS WIVES.]
+
+"Irrigation makes this almost rainless region the most fruitful on the
+globe," remarked one of the managers of the tour. "By the aid of
+irrigation the Egyptian farmers can raise two or three crops every year.
+To do so, however, they must labor incessantly and give the land
+thorough cultivation. Irrigation with them is not opening the gates of a
+sluiceway and letting the water flow over the land. It means severe
+labor, pumping the water up from the ditches, canals, or river, in which
+the surface of the water may be ten or twenty feet below the surface
+of the land. The pumps are the same kind that the people used in the
+days of the Pharaohs, and the methods of cultivation are the same as in
+those ancient times, without modern agricultural implements or modern
+machinery. Three crops, therefore, does not mean great prosperity, but
+simply enables the Egyptian farmer to pay taxes that would seem enormous
+to an American farmer, and then to have a surplus sufficient to supply
+his very moderate wants."
+
+[Illustration: WHERE EGYPTIANS OF MANY TYPES WERE ASSEMBLED.]
+
+The monotony of the level stretches was varied by groups of palm trees
+whose tall rough trunks upheld graceful heads of outstretched, drooping
+leaves, and by villages of small mud huts roofed with stalks of
+sugar-cane, sufficient, we imagined, in that dry country, to protect the
+inmates from the burning noonday heat, and to shelter them from the
+chilling night dews. Occasionally the train stopped at large and
+apparently prosperous towns, where there were substantial stone
+buildings and busy factories. At these stations Arab venders offered
+coffee, lemonade, fruit, and other refreshments to appease the hunger
+and thirst of the travelers.
+
+The fields were full of life. Each cultivated acre had its dark-hued
+laborers with hoes, or bare-legged toilers drawing water from the
+ditches for irrigating the thirsty land, or plowmen guiding teams of
+ungainly, striding camels or dark gray, crooked-horned oxen. In the lush
+meadows many of these curious-looking animals were grazing. The camels,
+the small donkeys, and the gray oxen or water-buffaloes as the natives
+called them, tied to stakes, were restricted to the pasturage within
+reach of their tethers. Along some of the irrigating canals naked
+dark-skinned men and boys splashed about in the water, or stood
+unabashed on the bank of the stream, gazing at the passing train.
+
+[Illustration: I. SMALL AND HAZY IN THE DISTANCE.]
+
+[Illustration: II. "MADAM MIGHT DROP HER SHAWL."]
+
+"Look at that scene," cried one of the passengers. "I wonder whether our
+cattle at home would not enjoy similar treatment."
+
+In the canal some naked boys were mounted on a buffalo, and near them an
+Arab, also in the water, was scrubbing the back of another buffalo, to
+the evident enjoyment of that animal.
+
+As we approached Cairo, the great valley of the delta narrowed, and
+mountain boundaries loomed up in the distance. Far away to the right the
+tops of the Pyramids, looking very small, silhouetted the sky. On the
+left, high hills broke the landscape, and presently the buildings and
+minarets that crowned the hills were outlined on the horizon. Handsome
+villas, beautiful gardens, good roads, and increasing traffic in the
+suburbs indicated the nearness of a prosperous city.
+
+Just four hours after leaving Alexandria our train entered the station
+at Cairo, where hotel-runners, cab-men, and porters gave the passengers
+a noisy reception. Complete arrangements having been made in advance for
+our party, we had time to take in the novel sights leisurely. The party
+had been divided into two sections; one section booked for the famous
+Shepheard's Hotel, the other section for the Hotel Grand Continental.
+The avenues through which we were driven on the way to the Hotel were
+bordered with large shade trees. The streets were full of life. The
+buildings were modern, seemingly of French style, with a mixture of
+Oriental architecture.
+
+[Illustration: I. THE SAND HAD BEEN SHOVELED AWAY FROM THE SPHINX.]
+
+[Illustration: II. THE GRANITE TEMPLE. REMAINS EMBEDDED.]
+
+"What a contrast," said one, thinking aloud of the city we had left but
+two days ago, as our carriage glided smoothly over the well paved
+highways. "Did two cities ever present a stronger contrast than
+Jerusalem, with streets narrow, rough, filthy, and depressing to the
+spirits, and Cairo, with avenues broad, smooth, clean, and pleasing to
+the senses? The interest in the city of Jerusalem had to be stirred by
+the memorials of the sacred events of the past; the discomforts of the
+present had to be overlooked. The city of Cairo appeals to us at once as
+a pleasure ground with attractions on all sides, and the promise of
+comfortable surroundings."
+
+The hotels of Cairo are famous throughout the world for the magnificence
+of their appointments, the cosmopolitan character of their guests, and
+the novelty of the sights that may be seen at their doors. When we drove
+up to the Hotel Grand Continental, a military band was giving an
+afternoon concert in the beautiful Esbekieh Gardens opposite the hotel.
+On the wide pavement in front of the piazza of the hotel, dragomen in
+elaborate Arabic costumes were offering their services as guides or
+interpreters. "Want a guide? want a guide?" they inquired of all
+strangers who they thought might need such service. Arab urchins, whose
+hands may have once been clean, offered picture postal cards for sale;
+bootblacks solicited patronage and beggars asked for alms; match
+peddlers endeavored to dispose of their little boxes; flower sellers
+thrust their bouquets forward into notice; dealers in scarabs and
+miniature mummy cases proclaimed the virtues of their charms; and
+venders of beads offered endless varieties of their fanciful, colored
+Egyptian wares. Interest in the scene was heightened by the variety of
+the characteristic flowing gowns peculiar to the natives of Egypt. On
+the piazza, groups of guests were taking afternoon tea, and listening to
+the music in the park opposite, or, seated comfortably in wicker chairs,
+found amusement in watching the animated throng on the sidewalk; in
+observing the arrivals and departures on donkeys and in victorias; and
+in viewing the constant panoramic procession on the street.
+
+[Illustration: MAY TAKE CAMELS OR DONKEYS AND RIDE.]
+
+The head porter, in gorgeous uniform, received us with the air of a
+proprietor; Arab bell boys in bright red silk gowns responded to the
+call of the manager and conducted us to our rooms; and Arab men in white
+gowns brought up our luggage. There were French maids on each floor to
+attend to the calls of the ladies; but Arab men in spotless robes made
+the beds, cared for the rooms, and took the place of chambermaids. These
+Arab men were seated in the wide halls when not employed at their tasks,
+but whenever a guest approached they rose and stood at attention,
+appearing very tall in their white drapery. In the dining room the
+English head waiters in dress suits contrasted strangely with the
+dark-skinned Arab waiters in handsome silk gowns of various colors.
+
+On the evening we arrived in Cairo the large gardens of Shepheard's
+Hotel were beautifully illuminated with thousands of electric lights and
+hundreds of Chinese lanterns festooned among the shrubbery. Two military
+bands alternately played selections from favorite composers during the
+evening. An exhibition of fire-works made a brilliant display, and this
+was followed by a "battle of confetti" in the garden and a dance in the
+hotel. Our party bought packages of paper confetti and joined the gay
+crowd of merrymakers in casting handfuls of the colored squares of paper
+at each passer-by. At the dance the great variety of handsome uniforms
+worn by the English officers attracted our attention, the red jackets of
+some of the men being particularly noticeable among the light gowns of
+the French and English women.
+
+Plans to utilize our time to the best advantage were carefully made, so
+that during our one week in Cairo we might give precedence to the places
+of particular interest, and see them at the most suitable hours.
+
+[Illustration: THE CLIMBERS DWINDLED IN SIZE.]
+
+[Illustration: AFTER REACHING THE TOP OF CHEOPS.]
+
+When we visited the Egyptian Museum, the wealth of antiquities displayed
+within its commodious and well-lighted halls held us with a grasp from
+which it was difficult to break loose. The mummies of the old kings who
+had been dead for thirty centuries urged us to remain. "We will tell you
+the story of remote ages," they seemed to say. There Ramses II, with
+gray hair, thin beard, and pierced ears, the great conqueror, builder of
+temples, erector of statues, and maker of history, lay peacefully at
+rest. His lips were firmly closed, his hands folded across his breast.
+His high forehead indicated the judgment with which he governed, and the
+strong nose suggested the greatness of his power. And near him, in
+hieroglyphic-covered coffins, reposed Seti I, constructor of magnificent
+edifices; Ramses III, oppressor of the Israelites; and many other famous
+kings, queens, priests, and warriors. The wooden statue of a village
+sheik with good-natured face and crystal eyes, and the tinted
+limestone, lifelike statues of Prince Rahotep and his wife Nofret, could
+they have spoken, might have revealed the secrets of ages long before
+the times of the mummies; and the gray stone figure of Chepren, which
+was found in the well of the temple of Gizeh, might have explained the
+mysteries of pyramid and sphinx.
+
+[Illustration: IN THE UNIVERSITY THE STUDENTS WERE SEATED ON THE FLOOR.]
+
+[Illustration: THE PENNIES APPARENTLY CANNOT BE FOUND.]
+
+From the parapet of the citadel which crowns the heights above Cairo, we
+gazed at the extended view of roofs, mosques, minarets, and tombs of
+caliphs, and listened to the story of the massacre of the Mamelukes and
+the legend of the one who marvelously escaped by leaping on his horse
+over the parapet to the ground sixty feet below. To convince us of the
+truth of this legend, the dragoman showed the impression of the horse's
+hoofs in the stone coping on the wall. The large Mosque of Mehemet Ali,
+on the heights, is built of pure alabaster and carpeted with costly
+rugs. The older Mosque of Sultan Ahmed, at the foot of the citadel hill,
+is built of sandstone taken from the Pyramids, and, although partly in
+ruins and with bare stone floors, it is yet beautiful.
+
+"This mosque make Ahmed glad. He not want another built like it, so he
+chop hand off architect," explained our good-natured dragoman, whose
+control of English was limited, but he endeavored to relate the legends
+and give information.
+
+While returning from the citadel we came by an open-air market, where
+Egyptians of many types were gathered in groups around piles of
+merchandise and vegetables. Here our camera man, taking advantage of an
+opportune moment, caught a dense mass of faces before the natives became
+aware of his presence.
+
+On Friday afternoon we visited the Monastery El Akbar to see the
+religious exercises of the Twirling Dervishes, which take place there
+every Friday afternoon. The shrill music, the fanatic faces, the
+obeisance to the leader, the whirling men, the naked feet, and the
+never-touching skirts, just as we beheld them, are pictured vividly by
+Canon Rawnsley, in his "Idylls and Lyrics of the Nile."
+
+
+          THE DANCING DERVISHES.
+
+    The shrillest pipe man ever played
+    Was making music overhead,
+    And in a circle, down below,
+    Sat men whose faces seemed to show
+    Another world was all their trade.
+
+    Then up they rose, and one by one,
+    Shook skirts down, following him who led
+    To where the elder brother sat--
+    All gaberdine and conic hat,
+    Then bowed, and off for Heaven they spun.
+
+    Their hands were crossed upon their breast,
+    Their eyes were closed as if for sleep,
+    The naked foot that beat the floor,
+    To keep them spinning more and more,
+    Was careless of all need for rest.
+
+    Soon every flowing skirt began
+    Its milk-white spinning plane to keep,
+    Each brother of the holy band
+    Spun in and out with lifted hand,
+    A Teetotem no longer man.
+
+    The gray old man, their leader, went
+    Throughout his spinning fellowship,
+    And reverently to the ear,
+    Of every dervish circling near,
+    He spake a soft encouragement.
+
+    The piper piped a shriller psalm,
+    The dancers thro' their mystery moved,
+    Untouched, untouching, and the twirl
+    That set our giddy heads awhirl,
+    Served but to give their faces calm.
+
+
+We drove from Cairo to the Pyramids of Gizeh, a distance of ten miles,
+over a substantial macadamized avenue. This broad highway, elevated
+eight or ten feet above the adjoining lands in order to protect it from
+the flood of water during the time of inundation, was bordered for seven
+miles with large shade trees, and was in perfect condition. On one side
+of the avenue an electric tramway extended from the bridge at Cairo to
+the Mena House Hotel near the Pyramids.
+
+"We might have reached our destination more quickly in the cars," said
+our manager as an electric car sped by us, "but at such speed we should
+have missed much that is strange and curious. We thought it preferable
+to take the trip in open carriages."
+
+The scenes along the way as we drove to the Pyramids were indeed novel.
+In the gardens in the environs of the city, the cabbage, onions, beans,
+and strawberries were in readiness for the market, and in the fields,
+the clover and forage plants, dark in color and luxuriant in growth,
+were ready for the sickle, but the wheat was yet green. The fellahs--the
+Egyptian farm-laborers--were cutting the rank clover in square patches
+and stacking it on the backs of camels or donkeys. Along the road
+stalked camels beneath huge stacks of fragrant clover, and donkeys so
+laden with newly-cut forage that only their heads and feet could be
+seen. A crooked-horned ox with an Arab farmer on his back ambled by. A
+caravan of camels laden with blankets, tents, and military supplies,
+accompanied by a guard of white-helmeted English soldiers, almost
+blocked the road as they marched past. Bronzed-faced natives seated in
+the shade dealt in sugar-cane stalks, cutting pieces of cane from the
+pile of stalks beside them as they were sold. Turbaned Arabs sauntered
+by, chewing with evident enjoyment the sweet stalks which they had
+purchased. Bedouins from the desert rode past on camels bedecked with
+tasseled trappings, swaying back and forth as they rode. Women, partly
+veiled, coming from the wells, balanced on their heads large earthen
+bottles filled with water.
+
+"There are many pyramids," said the guide, as our carriage emerged from
+the shade of the trees and the Pyramids were seen in the distance, "but
+Cheops is the greatest, and it is the one that is ascended by visitors;
+the other Pyramids are viewed at a distance but are visited by few.
+Cheops is four hundred and fifty feet in height and each side of the
+base measures seven hundred and fifty feet. It was originally much
+larger and higher but the outer layers of stone were torn down and
+carried away to Cairo to build mosques and palaces. The adjacent Pyramid
+of Chepren is almost as large but as some of the steps are cased, it is
+more difficult to ascend. When we arrive at the pyramids you may take
+camels or donkeys and ride around the base of Cheops. Or if you prefer
+to go on foot, you may walk around it, but walking in the sand is
+tiresome. Then we will proceed to the Sphinx and, after viewing it,
+descend to the excavated temple near the Sphinx. Afterwards, those who
+feel equal to the exertion may climb to the summit of Cheops. As this
+Pyramid is built of huge blocks of stone about three feet in thickness
+each step upward requires some effort. The Bedouins, however, will
+assist you in the ascent, two of them mounting the step ahead and
+drawing you up while a third pushes behind."
+
+[Illustration: THE TOMB MOSQUE OF THE KHALIF KAIT BEY WAS THE FINEST.]
+
+As we neared them, the Pyramids, which at first had seemed small and
+hazy in the distance, became distinct and grew in size. When very close
+to them they appeared enormous, but their magnitude was not fully
+appreciated until some hours later, after we had tramped through the
+sand around the four sides of great Cheops. After that walk, a distance
+of more than half a mile, we could judge with greater exactness the
+immense proportions of the extensive base. The slope of the sides
+prevented a fair conception of their height when looking upward at them;
+but after reaching the top of Cheops, panting with the exertion of the
+laborious climb in which we had been assisted by three Bedouins, we
+looked down at the midgets moving on the sand below, and were convinced
+that the altitude stated by the guide was not exaggerated.
+
+The Pyramids of Gizeh stand upon a plateau about four hundred acres in
+extent, which appeared to be thirty or more feet above the level of the
+surrounding country. The surface of this plateau is a barren sandy
+tract, bordered by cultivated land on the side toward the Nile and
+merging on the west into the Libyan desert which stretches to the
+distant hills. Just as far as the inundation of the Nile spreads or the
+irrigating water was pumped, the land was fertile; where the surface
+rose above the height reached by the water, the land was a barren waste.
+Almost as suddenly as landing from an emerald sea on to a desert shore,
+we stepped from a rich growth of verdure to a bare slope of yellow
+sand.
+
+At the foot of the Pyramid of Cheops a gesticulating, vociferous throng
+of Bedouins crowded about us, shouting in Arabic mixed with a few
+intelligible English words. Camel-drivers and donkey boys offered the
+services of their animals to make the circuit; helpers, almost dragging
+us away in their eagerness, insisted that we should climb to the summit;
+and guides with candles in their hands importuned us to accompany them
+into the gloomy interior. After a selection of camels and donkeys had
+been made by those who desired to ride, the clamorous crowd of natives
+separated, and we were allowed to start accompanied by but a few, who
+followed in case they should be needed. "Madam might drop her shawl, or
+want her umbrella carried, or need an arm to steady her in the saddle,"
+explained the guide.
+
+[Illustration: ASTRIDE ITS MOTHER'S SHOULDERS.]
+
+"For scores of centuries," remarked the professor, as we stood before
+the Sphinx, "the strong winds from the west have carried particles of
+sand from the desert and deposited them around the Pyramids. Now the
+original base of Cheops lies twenty or thirty feet beneath banks of sand
+and debris that have collected around it. In the same manner the
+encroaching particles, drifting like the light dry snows of the
+prairies, have almost engulfed the Sphinx. Many times in the past the
+sand has been shoveled away to prevent the Sphinx from being hidden from
+sight, and if this excavation in which it now stands should be neglected
+for a time, the desert winds would fill the pit again and gradually
+cover the monument. The Granite Temple adjacent to the Sphinx was
+covered over so completely in the progress of centuries that its
+location was forgotten. It is but fifty years since the French
+archaeologist Mariette discovered and excavated the interior of this
+large structure, the exterior of which, as you see, yet remains embedded
+in sand as far as the capstone on the walls."
+
+After descending the steps that led down to the floor of the buried
+temple and passing through rooms constructed of blocks of alabaster, we
+stood in the main hall, surrounded by monolithic pillars of granite
+which supported enormous blocks of the same material overhead. The guide
+said that these huge blocks of granite had been brought from quarries at
+Assuan, far up the Nile, but he could not tell how the ancient Egyptians
+had been able to handle the monoliths.
+
+[Illustration: ENTERED THE FAMILY BURIAL MOSQUE OF MOHAMMED ALI.]
+
+"My theory may not be correct," said the professor, as we turned to him
+for a reply to the query "but I will state it. We know how the great
+blocks of limestone that were used in the erection of the Pyramids were
+brought from the Libyan mountains; for the father of history, Herodotus,
+relates the story. He says that the Egyptians constructed a solid road
+sixty feet wide of polished stone from the quarry in the Lybian
+mountains and over this smooth roadbed dragged or rolled the huge
+blocks. He also states that as the work progressed, these blocks were
+lifted by machines from step to step and imbedded in their places in the
+pyramid. When granite or other stone had to be brought from a great
+distance for the erection of temples and palaces, as for this granite
+and alabaster temple of the Sphinx, the Egyptians probably adopted the
+simplest way of conveying the material in a land where task-masters
+drove tens of thousands of slaves to labor on the public works. That is,
+they probably excavated canals from the Nile to the quarries,
+supplementing these, where necessary, with stone roadways or slides, and
+made other canals from the Nile to the location selected for the
+buildings, and transported the unwieldy masses of stone on barges to
+their destination."
+
+"I made some calculations for comparison last night," continued the
+professor, seeing that we were interested in his statements. "Professor
+Petrie, the archaeologist, says that there are over two million large
+blocks of stone in the Pyramid of Cheops, or ninety-two million cubic
+feet."
+
+"Now, Professor," said one of the ladies, interrupting him, "you are
+getting above our comprehension when you soar into millions."
+
+[Illustration: BEARING ON HIS BACK AN UNWIELDY GOATSKIN.]
+
+"Am I?" he replied. "Well, I will leave the millions and give you
+something more familiar. The Capitol at Washington is seven hundred and
+fifty feet long,--just the length of each side of the base of
+Cheops,--but the Capitol is not half that in width. The Capitol covers
+an area of three and one-half acres; the Pyramid spreads over thirteen
+acres. The apex of the Pyramid is one hundred and sixty feet higher than
+the head of Freedom on the dome at Washington. The Capitol is a hollow
+structure; the Pyramid, a solid mass, excepting the comparatively small
+chamber of the tomb and passage ways. The stone used in the construction
+of Cheops would be sufficient to build the Capitol and the Library of
+Congress, and there would be enough material left over for capitol
+buildings in each of the states in the Union. When you have time,
+calculate how many miles of stone wall might be constructed with
+ninety-two million cubic feet of stone. It is only by comparison that we
+can comprehend the stupendous bulk of these magnificent monuments, and
+realize the prodigious amount of labor that was required for their
+erection."
+
+It was but a short drive from the Hotel Grand Continental to the Muski,
+the narrow street that is the centre of the bazaar district, a district
+which every visitor is sure to find soon after his arrival in Cairo.
+When we entered the crowded Muski, we left the broad avenues of the
+modern city behind and walked in narrow Oriental streets through which
+carriages are not allowed to go.
+
+"Everything is novel and interesting in this busy thoroughfare," said
+one of our party. "I suggest that we move along very slowly and stop
+frequently. See that lemonade vender with the brass tank strapped to his
+back. When he bent forward the water flowed from the spout over his
+shoulder into the cup he held in his hand, without his touching the
+tank. He is waiting for his customer to produce the pennies that
+apparently cannot be found."
+
+The street scenes in the Muski were so kaleidoscopic that it is
+impossible to give more than a suggestion of their character. A few
+representative scenes can be given and around these the imagination must
+picture a constantly changing throng, not hurrying as in busy American
+cities, but moving leisurely in the Eastern manner. The crowd was
+orderly, but not quiet, for tongues were in constant use. Merchants
+and customers chattered and parleyed. Venders of licorice water and
+sweetmeats did not permit their presence to be overlooked, and donkeys
+occasionally joined in the chorus. Each figure unfamiliar to our Western
+eyes, in turban or in fez, in slippers or in bare feet, in scant gown of
+cotton or full robe of silk, was a subject worthy of being considered
+individually.
+
+[Illustration: FIGURES UNFAMILIAR TO OUR WESTERN EYES.]
+
+A baby, astride its mother's shoulder, clung to her head while she
+walked along and made her purchases, apparently unconscious of her
+child. A bare-footed water carrier, bearing on his back an unwieldy
+goatskin distended with its contents, cried, "Water for sale." A donkey
+boy pushed aside the crowd to let the closely veiled, silk-mantled lady
+rider pass through on her caparisoned donkey. Muscular fellahs, or
+peasants, in brown skull caps, and blue shirts which reached to their
+ankles, their feet bare, their teeth remarkable for whiteness, sauntered
+along chewing stalks of sugar-cane. Women of the poorer class passed by,
+wearing scanty gowns of plain blue cotton, heavy copper bracelets, and
+nose ornaments of brass, which held in place the veils that covered the
+lower part of their faces but did not conceal the beauty spots tattooed
+on their foreheads. A funeral procession, with professional mourners
+chanting monotonously a hymn to Allah, followed a casket borne on the
+shoulders of men. And these curious scenes, which we tried to catch with
+the camera, formed but unimportant parts in an ever-moving picture in
+which were intermingled the costumes, colors, and facial characteristics
+of dervishes, priests, and soldiers, of Arabs, Nubians, Turks, and
+Americans.
+
+[Illustration: IN THE COURT OF THE ALABASTER MOSQUE IS A FOUNTAIN.]
+
+The Muski and the crooked little passage-ways that intersected it were
+lined with small shops where many of the dealers sat cross-legged on
+platforms within arm's reach of their stock of goods. The stores for the
+sale of each kind of goods had a special quarter of their own. At one
+place we saw the shops of the coppersmiths with stocks of bright
+kettles, pitchers, basins, trays, and pans; at another, the stores of
+the shoemakers, where hundreds of bright red slippers dangled on lines
+overhead. In one crooked alley, but four feet in width, we watched the
+goldsmiths, squatted in narrow quarters, busily at work with brazier and
+blowpipes and curious little tools, hammering, twisting, and welding
+chains of gold, and making ornaments of silver filagree.
+
+We bought souvenirs at the stalls of the fez dealers, where but one
+style of headgear was sold, always red in color, and with prices varying
+according to the quality of the cloth and lining. We stopped at the
+warerooms of the brass-smiths, which were larger in size than the
+ordinary shops, and found these filled with an array of hammered trays,
+censers, bowls, tankards, curiously wrought lamps, and ornamented
+candlesticks, that attracted many buyers. We looked into the little
+factories of the saddlers, which were gay with red and yellow trappings
+for donkeys and horses, and where the saddlers were stitching with
+bright colored-threads.
+
+The light open-front workshops of the makers of hempen camel harness
+were hung with the twisted rope and tassel adornments of variegated
+colors with which the Bedouin delights to array his ship of the desert.
+The stores of the grocers were adorned with long decorated candles
+suspended by the wicks. We saw hundreds of tiny bazaars for the sale of
+perfumes, placed side by side in a narrow lane where the air was scented
+with musk and attar of roses; and we walked through narrow streets
+where, each kind in its own section, earthen water jars, lanterns,
+books, ornamented leather work, gems, and precious stones were displayed
+for sale.
+
+The guide insisted that we should spend a little time in the carpet
+stores in a side street. We yielded to his entreaties, and were
+surprised by the immense stacks of exquisite silk rugs; but to the
+courteous salesman's offer to show us everything in his place, we were
+compelled by lack of time to reply, "Another day." When we arrived at
+the more prominent silk bazaars, the ladies wished to buy some light
+shawls interwoven with gold thread and table covers embroidered with
+silk. They soon found out, however, that, as in the other Oriental
+cities, much time would be required for bargaining, and so the shopping
+was put off until the sight-seeing was over.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+LUXOR AND KARNAK.
+
+
+The Nile party No. 2, consisting of forty-two persons, left Cairo on
+Friday morning, March thirteenth, in sleeping cars. The cars were
+painted white outside, finished in cherry inside, and divided into
+rooms, each room having two comfortable berths and a washstand, and a
+passageway along the side of the car. We ate our dinner that evening and
+breakfast the following morning in a modern dining car attached to the
+train.
+
+At nine o'clock on Saturday morning the train arrived at our
+destination, the town of Luxor, about four hundred miles south of Cairo.
+The Hotel de Luxor, at which we stayed, was situated in the midst of a
+large irrigated garden where palms cast a grateful shade and roses and
+lilies bloomed among tropical plants. Within this hotel, built with
+thick stone walls and floored with flagstones, the tourists found a
+pleasant refuge from the heat when they returned from excursions into
+the desert. In its cool dining room, decorated in the old Egyptian style
+with figures of gods and goddesses, with lotus blossoms and papyrus
+flowers, with hieroglyphics and symbols, painted on frieze, walls, and
+window sash, the tourists were waited on by white-robed, white-turbaned,
+red-sashed, red-slippered natives.
+
+[Illustration: THE HUGE PROPYLON OR OUTER GATEWAY AT KARNAK.]
+
+The flies were a great pest. They were numerous and annoying, although
+we found that they did not bite so hard nor tickle the skin so much as
+do the flies in our country. Among the first purchases made by the
+tourists in Luxor were fly brushes made of palm fiber or of white
+horsehair with wooden handles and loops to attach them to the wrist. It
+was amusing to see English, German, and American tourists switching at
+the flies with their horsetail brushes while the natives passively
+endured the crawling insects. Egyptian mothers in the village permitted
+the flies to creep over the babies' faces and settle in clusters around
+their eyes without attempting to drive the tormentors away, either too
+lazy to do so or desirous that the babies should become hardened to the
+annoyance. We pitied the infants, however, and some of the ladies of our
+party became very indignant over the indifference--cruelty they called
+it--of the mothers. We saw many older children afterwards whose skin
+appeared to be insensible to the tickling feet; for they made no attempt
+to brush away the flies which covered their faces.
+
+[Illustration: I. WALKED ALONG THE AVENUE OF SPHINXES.]
+
+[Illustration: II. THE LITTLE MOSQUE COULD NOT BE PURCHASED.]
+
+Our party was joined during the morning by another party of tourists.
+After luncheon we all proceeded to the end of the shaded garden, where,
+at the gateway, we found Mahmoud, the dragoman who had been selected to
+take charge of the expedition. His assistants were assembled there and
+with them were eighty donkey boys, each with his donkey, a number of
+jinrikisha men with carts, and chair men with chairs. The donkey boys
+were of all ages from lads scarcely in their teens to veterans of
+three-score years. The donkeys were of various sizes but the largest
+were not over four feet high. The jinrikishas had each two attendants,
+one man to pull in the shafts of the cart and one to push. The chairs
+borne on poles on the shoulders of men had each six carriers, four to
+carry and two as a relay. Chairs or jinrikishas were chosen by the
+tourists whose bodies required careful treatment and by those who
+preferred to travel in luxury. The donkeys, however, were selected by
+the majority, who considered it a far greater pleasure to ride.
+
+[Illustration: THEY BROUGHT WATER IN GOATSKINS FROM THE NILE.]
+
+"This way! this way! ladies and gentlemen, if you please!" exclaimed
+Mahmoud, and the merry cavalcade of eighty tourists and one hundred
+attendants started off through the village, donkey boys chattering,
+donkeys braying, and riders gaily chaffing one another on their
+appearance in the saddle; the long-legged professor holding up his feet
+to prevent them from scraping the ground and the jolly stout parson
+mounted on the smallest donkey. Each donkey was followed by a donkey boy
+who whipped the patient beast, jabbed him with a sharp pointed stick,
+twisted the animal's tail, or talked to him in Arabic, when it was
+necessary to urge him to greater speed. When urged, the donkeys were
+fast walkers. But whether the donkeys were walking, trotting, or
+galloping, the boys with little exertion managed to keep close to their
+heels, and the jinrikisha men and chair men could keep up such a rapid
+speed with their loads that it was difficult to leave them in the rear.
+
+[Illustration: BUILT OVER FORTY CENTURIES AGO.]
+
+My donkey boy, aged about sixteen, told me that his name was Abda
+Mohammed and that the medium sized white donkey on which I rode was
+known as Alice Lovell. With broad smiles which showed a perfect set of
+white teeth, he repeated over and over again, at intervals during the
+short ride, "Alice Lovell, nice donkey, good donkey. Abda, nice boy,
+good donkey boy," doubtless thinking that if I could fully realize that
+fact the backsheesh at parting would be larger.
+
+A half hour's ride on an embanked road across fields and desert sands
+brought us to the ruins of a great arch, formerly one of the gateways
+into the magnificent ancient temples of Karnak, but now an entrance way
+to the famous ruins. There, the Egyptian guards ordered us to show our
+government permits, or monument tickets, as our dragoman called them,
+without which we could not inspect the ruins.
+
+[Illustration: HAVE ENDURED THROUGH MANY AGES.]
+
+"Oh! I have forgotten my ticket!" said one of the tourists. "I left it
+with my satchel. What shall I do?"
+
+At luncheon before starting Mahmoud had cautioned the tourists to be
+careful not to forget their permits, and his cautionary words, "Monument
+tickets are very much wanted," were familiar and often repeated. A
+hurried consultation was held and the difficulty overcome, but the
+forgetful one and others were warned that it must not occur again.
+
+In order to provide a fund to be used in excavating, preserving, and
+caring for the ancient temples and tombs, the Egyptian government
+requires a permit costing six dollars to be taken out by each person
+desiring to visit these places, and without such a permit he cannot
+enter. At Cairo the managers of the tour had obtained from the
+government for each member of the Nile party a little cloth bound
+"Service des Antiquites L'Egypte" made out in the name of the holder.
+This open-sesame for the iron gates was given to each person with the
+warning that it must not be forgotten.
+
+We stopped to view and kodak one of the huge Propylons or outer gate
+ways and found there some visitors who had driven to Karnak in modern
+carriages instead of using the Oriental way of conveyance that we had
+taken. An avenue of Sphinxes with rams' heads was also stowed away in
+the kodak to be brought to light at some future time.
+
+"These stupendous ruins of Karnak," said the dragoman, "were once a
+group of magnificent temples covering an area of many acres. The most
+ancient of the structures was built over forty centuries ago. Other
+temples were added and alterations and improvements made during the ages
+following when the city of Thebes was a prosperous capital; but for over
+two thousand years these places of worship have been abandoned and the
+sand of the desert has collected around them, almost burying them out of
+sight. The Egyptian government for a number of years has had many
+natives excavating, and also has been raising some of the fallen
+columns."
+
+As we passed through the temple grounds we saw a number of men and boys
+at work, as the dragoman had stated. These excavators scooped the sand
+and debris into small baskets, while a taskmaster stood over them, whip
+in hand. Then placing the filled baskets on their heads they started off
+in long lines, singing as they marched to the deposit heap. The men, we
+were informed, earned twenty-five cents a day at this labor, and the
+boys ten to fifteen cents a day.
+
+"One thing noticeable about these most magnificent ruins in the world,"
+continued the guide, as we halted in the great court, "is that the
+architecture, the sculpture, the inscriptions, of the earlier temples is
+equal, if not superior, to the workmanship of a later date. The
+construction work done under the great kings Ramses I, Seti I, Ramses
+II, and Amenophis III, who ruled over Egypt thirteen centuries before
+the Christian era, has never been surpassed. Stones of immense size were
+handled by their architects in some manner unknown at the present day,
+and walls and columns were erected of such solidity and strength that
+they have endured through these many ages. The First Pylon or gigantic
+portal to the Temple of Ammon, which was dedicated to Ammon-Re, the King
+of the Gods, is three hundred and seventy-two feet wide, with walls
+sixteen feet thick and one hundred and forty-two feet high. The
+wonderful Hypostyle Hall, or Hall of Columns, is three hundred and
+thirty-eight feet long by one hundred and seventy feet broad."
+
+"Before we enter, let me read you what the noted Egyptologist Rawlinson
+says with reference to this Hall of Columns," said the professor,
+drawing out his note book. "He writes: 'The greatest of all Seti's work
+was his pillared hall at Karnak, the most splendid single chamber that
+has ever been built by any architect, and even in its ruins one of the
+grandest sights that the world contains."
+
+The huge columns, some in place, some leaning, and others prostrate,
+were an impressive sight. The guide called our attention to the
+inscriptions that covered all the columns and to the traces of coloring
+that might still be seen on the protected parts. In order that we might
+more fully realize their size, he suggested that we measure the
+circumference of one with our arms. It required six of us with
+outstretched arms to span one of the larger columns.
+
+As we passed through the various halls, Mahmoud interpreted and
+explained many of the historical inscriptions and reliefs with which the
+ancient Egyptian kings had covered the walls, commemorating the
+victories they had gained over their enemies. One wall pictured the
+triumph of Shishak over Rehoboam, the son of Solomon. The captured
+cities were represented by circles each enclosing the name of the city;
+the captives, by rows of Hebrews bound with cords. King Shishak stood
+over the captives grasping a group of them by the hair and smiting them
+with a club, and slaves carried the golden treasures that had been
+stripped from the temple at Jerusalem, and the plunder taken from
+Rehoboam's palace.
+
+[Illustration: WITHIN THE TEMPLE OF AMMON AT KARNAK.]
+
+On our return to Luxor my donkey boy Abda and I had a disagreement. I
+gave him, as backsheesh, a tip equal to a man's wages for a full day's
+work in Egypt; but he pleaded with tears in his eyes for "more
+backsheesh," and departed apparently in great anger.
+
+After resting awhile in the cool halls of our hotel, we walked to the
+ruins of the great Temple in the village of Luxor, close by the river
+bank and not far from the hotel.
+
+"In the year 1884," said Mahmoud, as we assembled around him in the
+ruins where the gigantic columns rose forty feet above our heads, "I was
+living in a house that stood just over where we are now standing and I
+did not know that a part of the temple was buried in the earth
+underneath. The government officials, after much haggling and
+complaining about the prices my neighbors and I demanded, bought the
+houses and lands of us, about thirty properties in all, and gave us
+other lands, so that the excavations could be continued. That year this
+part of the temple was uncovered. The little white mosque at the corner
+could not be purchased, as that ground is sacred and must not be
+disturbed to uncover ruins underneath it."
+
+[Illustration: PLACED THE FILLED BASKETS ON THEIR HEADS.]
+
+[Illustration: EMBELLISHED THE TEMPLE WITH STATUES OF HIMSELF.]
+
+"This edifice, dedicated to the worship of Ammon," continued the guide,
+"was erected by King Amenophis III thirty-three hundred years ago; but
+King Ramses II, one hundred years later, added to the structure and
+made it a memorial of his reign by embellishing the temple with statues
+of himself and covering the exterior walls with reliefs and inscriptions
+picturing and describing his triumphs."
+
+We saw two colossal sitting statues of Ramses forty-five feet in height,
+one of which was completely excavated, the other buried breast high in
+rubbish, and in a court of the temple were many gigantic standing
+figures of Ramses placed between the pillars. Beside one of these was a
+small figure, representing the queen Nefertari, which just reached to
+the height of the knees of Ramses.
+
+"The king desired to indicate by the size of the statues that he was a
+great conqueror," said the dragoman. "His wife was the daughter of
+Pharoah who, while bathing in the Nile, found the Hebrew babe hidden
+among the papyri plants."
+
+"If Nefertari was the princess who rescued Moses, she deserved a larger
+statue," responded one of the tourists.
+
+"This series of scenes represents the victory at Kadesh in Syria,"
+explained the guide as we stood before a wall covered with pictorial
+representations of conflict cut in the stone. "Here is the King in his
+chariot charging with fury on his foes amid flying arrows. Notice the
+dead and wounded scattered over the field of battle and the Hittites
+flying in confusion. At one side you see the Egyptian camp, and on the
+other side the fortress of Kadesh and the Syrian king amazed at the
+sight of his army in wild flight. The hieroglyphics that cover the side
+of the tower give a detailed account of the battle and of the glorious
+deeds of valor performed by King Ramses. There were originally two large
+obelisks here in front of the temple, but one of them was taken to Paris
+a number of years ago."
+
+"Yes, I saw it there," remarked one of the party, "but the inscriptions
+on the one at Paris looked worn and weather-beaten; while those on this
+obelisk are almost as distinct as when they were cut in the pink granite
+three thousand years ago."
+
+On the morning of March fifteenth, after an early breakfast, we started
+at seven o'clock to visit the Tombs of the Kings and the temples on the
+west side of the Nile,--the village of Luxor and the temples of Luxor
+and Karnak being on the east side. Crossing the river in ferry boats
+propelled by sails and oars, the tourists found donkeys, boys,
+chair-men, lunch carriers, guides, and extra men crowding the western
+shore. We had hardly landed when the donkey boys surrounded us,
+gesticulating, shouting the merits of themselves and their beasts, and
+pleading that their donkeys might be selected. Much to my surprise,
+Abda, the offended and angry boy of the Karnak ride, pushed his way to
+my side with Alice Lovell and smilingly claimed me as his friend and
+benefactor, with the familiar tale: "Alice Lovell a good donkey; Abda a
+good donkey boy," so our relations were renewed.
+
+The ladies decided that the men's saddles would be more comfortable for
+a long ride, and that there would be less danger of the saddle turning;
+so side saddles were generally dispensed with and most of the women
+mounted astride. From the landing we rode slowly over a long stretch
+of loose sand, tiresome to the donkeys, and then along a good path on
+the embankment of an irrigating ditch. The sun was sending down hot rays
+by the time we reached our first halting place, the Temple of Kurna, and
+we were glad to dismount and seek shelter and rest in the shade of the
+great walls while we examined the beautifully executed reliefs and
+inscriptions.
+
+[Illustration: BESIDE ONE OF THESE IS A SMALL FIGURE OF THE QUEEN.]
+
+In the treasure chamber of the temple, Mahmoud related the story of the
+architect who built the chamber for King Seti. "This rascal of an
+architect," said Mahmoud, "left one stone loose so that he could
+secretly remove it and enter the chamber to steal. The robber was caught
+in the act of carrying off the treasure and fittingly punished as you
+may see represented in the reliefs on the walls. This man pictured here
+in disgrace and chains as a warning to ill-doers was the first thief in
+Egypt, but I am sorry to say he was not the last."
+
+After leaving the Temple of Kurna, which is situated near the cliffs
+that bound the Nile valley, our procession entered a narrow ravine
+through which the path leads to the Tombs of the Kings. Here we met
+another large party of Americans and we all rode together for some
+distance, one of the tourists meeting a friend whom she had not seen for
+seven years. We passed two Englishmen with their guide, who moved off
+the path and gazed through their eye-glasses in mild astonishment at our
+animated cavalcade in varied costumes; while we in turn looked at their
+immaculate sporting outfits and thought how lonely the couple must be,
+traveling through these dismal solitudes. Our party had not thought it
+worth while to purchase special riding outfits for the few days in the
+desert, but had utilized what they had. For protection from the sun some
+used white helmets or cloth neck protectors, some covered their heads
+and necks with veils or tied down their soft hats, others wore straw
+hats or caps regardless of sunburn.
+
+[Illustration: RESTED IN THE SHADE OF THE TEMPLE OF KURNA.]
+
+[Illustration: WE ENTERED THE RAMESSEUM.]
+
+Overhead was an unclouded sky; at each side rose yellow limestone cliffs
+glaring in the noonday sun, and underneath white sand and limestone
+chips reflected the burning rays. Not a sign of vegetation relieved the
+eye in this waterless gorge during our one hour's ride from Kurna to the
+Tombs.
+
+"Backsheesh! backsheesh!" demanded the donkey boys, as we dismounted.
+
+"Why do you want backsheesh now?"
+
+"Boy don't want backsheesh, donkey want backsheesh, donkey eat hay while
+man in tombs."
+
+In order that the Tombs may be satisfactorily examined by visitors, the
+government has built an electric light plant in the gorge and the
+thirty-five tombs are illuminated by electricity. Our party entered and
+examined the six of these tombs which are considered the most
+interesting. At each of these an Egyptian guard politely scrutinized the
+"Services des Antiquites," although it was printed in French that he
+could not read, and then permitted the holder to enter.
+
+[Illustration: STOOD IN THE COLONNADE AT MEDINET HABU.]
+
+In Tomb No. 17, we descended a passage hewn in the limestone cliff,
+about ten feet wide, ten feet in height, and three hundred and thirty
+feet in length, which leads inward and downward by inclines and steps to
+the resting-place of King Seti, a tomb prepared during his life to be
+the receptacle for his mummified remains after death. The smooth
+polished walls and ceilings of the corridors and chambers were
+sculptured by the best artists of Seti's time with reliefs of great
+beauty, representing scenes of a sacred character. The praising of the
+great God Ammon-Re, the offering of incense and gifts to various
+deities, the passage of the boat of the sun, the punishments in the
+underworld, the sacred sun-disk, animal-headed gods, patron goddesses,
+fierce demons, sacred animals, winged serpents, flying spirits, evil
+genii, coiled snakes, and creeping scarabs are portrayed repeatedly.
+
+[Illustration: AT THE TOMBS OF THE KING.]
+
+Mahmoud explained the pictures and inscriptions as we slowly went
+forward, stopping frequently to inspect more closely those of greater
+interest.
+
+"After Seti's death," said Mahmoud, as we stood in the chamber of the
+tomb, brilliantly lighted by the electric bulbs, "his body was embalmed
+and with great pomp and ceremony the mummy was carried from the palace
+in the great city of Thebes through the dismal gorge and deposited in a
+magnificent alabaster sarcophagus that had been prepared for its
+reception in this chamber in the limestone rock ninety feet below the
+surface of the ground. Then the tomb was closed and sealed so that the
+body of the king might remain in peace until it should be called forth
+at the end of time to undergo trial before the god Osiris.
+
+"For hundreds of years, the mummy lay tranquilly in its sealed tomb;
+then the seals were rudely broken and the tomb was despoiled by robbers
+who wished to obtain the valuables deposited with the body. When this
+despoliation was discovered, the rulers of the Empire removed Seti's
+mummy and the mummies of other kings to a tomb near the Temple of
+Der-el-bahri which could be more closely guarded. There the mummies
+remained until the year 1881, when they were taken away to the Museum at
+Cairo."
+
+"And now," said one of the visitors, as the guide concluded, "after
+thirty centuries of repose, the proud features of this oppressor of the
+Israelites, little the worse for the lapse of time, are exposed in the
+great hall of the National Museum in Cairo to the gaze of the rude
+multitude from whom he desired to be hidden, and his alabaster
+sarcophagus is admired by visitors in the Soane Museum of London."
+
+Almost all the articles of value in the Tombs that the robbers did not
+succeed in carrying away, as well as the mummies and sarcophagi, have
+been removed to museums in the large cities, the most valuable being
+retained for the Museum in Cairo. In the tomb of Amenophis II, however,
+the mummy of the king in a decorated coffin remains for the inspection
+of visitors. Above the head of this ruler of the ancient empire, a
+modern electric bulb hangs, illuminating the rugged features and showing
+every detail of high nose, sunken cheeks, and straggling hair on the
+head and chin. The tombs of Ramses III, Ramses IV, and Ramses IX were
+interesting each in its own way. That of Ramses III had, in addition to
+the sacred scenes, pictures of agricultural and family life; plowing,
+sowing, reaping, baking, slaughtering, and cooking.
+
+"Shall we return through the gorge or take the shorter path over the
+cliffs and obtain a view of the Nile valley?" inquired the dragoman.
+
+[Illustration: USED CHISELS ON LASTING STONE INSTEAD OF BRUSHES ON
+PERISHABLE CANVAS.]
+
+Some, dreading the exertion under a broiling sun, chose the level road
+on a donkey's back. Others, intent on obtaining the view, started to
+climb the zigzag path regardless of the glare of the sun, the donkey
+boys following with the donkeys. The view from the summit amply repaid
+us for the climb. On one side we looked down into the desolate valley of
+the Tombs. On the other we saw the rich green valley of the Nile, with
+groups of palms, villages, and temples. Directly below at the foot of
+the yellow cliff, and in strong contrast to it, was the white marble
+temple of Der-al-bahri. And not far from the temple was a cottage, which
+at once became interesting to the tired party when the guide, pointing
+to it, said: "That is the rest-house. A good luncheon will be ready on
+the tables when you arrive there."
+
+[Illustration: POSED TO BE KODAKED.]
+
+We had been riding on a very narrow trail along the edge of a precipice,
+but now we dismounted and descended, on foot, a winding path, too steep
+and dangerous for riding, that led us to the rest-house in the valley
+below. Here, at the Chalet Hatasu, as it was named, the servants had
+unpacked the hampers which they had brought from the hotel at Luxor, and
+the hungry travelers were soon seated around well-spread tables. During
+the meal a throng of scantily clad men, boys, and small children
+assembled outside the Chalet. These bare-footed Arabs offered for sale
+scarabs, stone mummy images, mummified feet, skulls, beads, and trinkets
+so clamorously and persistently that our dragoman had to use his long
+lashed whip to clear the way. After leaving the chalet, naked boys,
+apparently from four to ten years of age, followed us with outstretched
+hands, begging for backsheesh. Some of these boys earned money by posing
+to be kodaked.
+
+[Illustration: I. COLOSSUS OF RAMSES LAY BROKEN.]
+
+[Illustration: II. MOSLEMS HAD MUTILATED THE STATUES.]
+
+[Illustration: TWO WEATHER-WORN FIGURES OF PRODIGIOUS SIZE]
+
+The walls and columns of the Ramesseum, the magnificent temple built by
+Ramses II, and those of Medinet Habu, the great temple built by Ramses
+III, were covered with pictures in relief, made in the golden days of
+Theban prosperity.
+
+"The ancient artists, to perpetuate their work, used chisels on lasting
+stone instead of brushes on perishable canvas," remarked the professor
+as we examined the reliefs, "and their pictures carved on the stone
+walls have endured through centuries."
+
+We saw battle scenes with the king leading in the fray, archers
+discharging arrows, charioteers riding down the foe, and enemies fleeing
+in dismay; triumphal marches with the king borne aloft on a canopied
+litter, fan-bearers waving fans, musicians blowing trumpets and beating
+drums, courtiers bearing standards, and captives led in chains; festal
+processions with the king marching in front, the sacred white bull
+festooned with wreaths, maidens carrying flowers, and priests bearing
+images; and nations paying tribute to the king upon his throne, Nubians
+bringing leopard skins, giraffes, and grinning apes, and princes
+presenting gems, costly vases, and golden shields. One picture at
+Medinet Habu represented the soldiers cutting off the right hands of
+their enemies who had been slain in battle and bringing these gruesome
+emblems of the dead to the secretaries to be counted and recorded. The
+secretaries had counted and recorded twelve thousand five hundred and
+thirty-five hands. To enumerate the many interesting scenes sculptured
+on the temple walls would be like cataloguing a picture gallery.
+
+At the Ramesseum, the enormous Colossus of Ramses lay broken on the
+ground, overthrown by some mighty force.
+
+"This huge granite figure," said Mahmoud, "was, before its fall, the
+largest statue ever carved out of one block of stone. Its height was
+nearly sixty feet, the fingers three feet long, and its weight has been
+estimated at one thousand tons."
+
+The Colossi of Memnon, the two enormous seated figures in the midst of
+level cultivated fields, were passed and photographed as we returned to
+Luxor. Their hugeness may be judged by comparing their size with the
+height of the tourists alongside in the illustration.
+
+"During the weeks of inundation each year," said Mahmoud, after he had
+told us the dimensions of the statues and the mythical stories
+associated with them, "these grain fields as far as the vegetation
+extends are covered with water to a depth of from ten to fifteen feet.
+When the Nile is at its height the heads of the great Colossi,
+surrounded by water, rise forty feet above the flood."
+
+A bath and a thorough brushing of clothes at the hotel removed the
+desert sand. We sipped our afternoon tea in the shaded garden and then
+the party of forty-two persons boarded the Nile steamer Amasis in time
+for an evening dinner on the boat. Suit cases and satchels were unpacked
+and the staterooms made cozy, for the Amasis was to be the tourists'
+home for a number of days during the trip down the Nile.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+ON THE NILE.
+
+
+At daylight on Monday morning, March sixteenth, the Amasis steamed away
+from Luxor and by nine o'clock had arrived at the landing for Dendera.
+The donkey boys of Dendera, having been notified of our coming, were
+waiting with their donkeys. In a few minutes the tourists were mounted
+for a half hour's ride on narrow paths through green barley fields to
+the ruined temple. I rode on a donkey named Whiskey and Soda, with my
+donkey boy Hassan running behind prodding the animal occasionally with a
+sharp-pointed stick, and yelling "Haow! Haow!" to urge Whiskey and Soda
+to a more rapid gait. Along the paths through the fields many children
+ran to greet us with outstretched palms. Their costumes were those of
+the Garden of Eden before the fall; but having been informed of our
+approach, the bronze colored youngsters had decorated themselves for the
+occasion with wreaths of green barley around their waists and crowns of
+the same material on their heads. The little Arabs, bright-eyed,
+smooth-limbed, and handsome featured, attractive and picturesque in
+appearance, shouted with glee when a few small coins were thrown among
+them.
+
+"Look at that!" exclaimed one of the party. "I have heard of the
+shepherds carrying the lambs on their shoulders, but here is a man
+coming with the foal of a donkey in his arms."
+
+"What a dear little pet," said the ladies as the Arab passed us with the
+young donkey nestling contentedly on his breast.
+
+"The famous Temple of Dendera was not so magnificent nor so large as the
+temples of Karnak and Thebes," said the guide, as we stood before the
+gates, "but it was more richly decorated with carvings and paintings.
+Every inch of column, wall, and ceiling was carved with hieroglyphic and
+pictorial decorations. These were painted in bright colors which are yet
+faintly visible. This structure is a modern one compared with Karnak;
+for Karnak was an ancient temple more than one thousand years old when
+King Ptolemy began the erection of this building just before the
+Christian Era. An inscription on the walls states that the time required
+for its construction was one hundred and eight years, six months, and
+fourteen days. When Egypt became a Roman province after the death of
+Cleopatra, the Roman emperors continued the construction of the
+unfinished temple. Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, and Nero are
+represented in reliefs on the walls. The temple was dedicated to the
+worship of the Goddess Hathor, the Egyptian Venus, or goddess of love
+and beauty."
+
+"Why was the temple built here two miles away from the river, instead of
+near the banks of the Nile?" inquired a tourist.
+
+"It was because this terrace is higher than the valley," answered
+Mahmoud. "Remember that these green fields through which we rode are
+made fertile by the overflow of the Nile; then I think that the reason
+for building on this plateau will be plain to you."
+
+[Illustration: DONKEY BOYS WERE WAITING FOR US.]
+
+"But why was it built in a depression?"
+
+"It was not originally in a hole," explained the guide, "but was built
+on level ground. Some sixteen hundred years ago the Christian Roman
+Emperor Theodosius forbade the worship of idols. After that time, the
+worship of the goddess Hathor being discontinued, the temple was
+neglected and a village of mud huts sprang up around it. These huts,
+built of sun-dried bricks, crumbled to dust in the passage of years and
+were trampled under foot. Again and again new huts supplanted the old
+until in the course of centuries the debris accumulated many feet in
+depth. When the government, fifty years ago, undertook to restore the
+temple, the workmen had to begin by shoveling mud huts off the roof."
+
+We descended a long flight of steps to reach the level of the floor of
+the excavated temple, and passing the blue-uniformed guards entered the
+grand hall of columns. The hall, as the guide had told us, was richly
+decorated. Master sculptors had carved every available space on the
+walls and columns with hieroglyphic inscriptions and beautiful reliefs;
+master artists in color had heightened the effect with tint and shade.
+Looking up we saw, pictured on the ceiling, the Egyptian deity, Nut, the
+goddess of the sky, controlling the movements of sun and stars; the rays
+of the sun shining in blessing on the head of Hathor; the moon issuing
+from Nut's mouth; the signs of the Zodiac; the flying Hours of day and
+night; and the sailing boats of the planets.
+
+[Illustration: RICHLY DECORATED WITH CARVINGS AND PAINTINGS.]
+
+The guide raised a stone trap door less than two feet square in the
+stone floor and through this small entrance we squeezed, candle in hand,
+and descended a stone stairway to explore the dark crypt underneath.
+Although the ladies screamed when the bats, disturbed and blinded by the
+light, flew wildly overhead, they bravely followed the guide. The long
+passage was but three feet in width and we wondered why the dragoman had
+brought us down into its close and gloomy recesses; but when magnesium
+wires were lit, our wonder turned into admiration, for the sputtering
+white light revealed on the smooth sidewalls most beautiful reliefs in
+well preserved coloring.
+
+[Illustration: OFFERED INCENSE TO THE GODS.]
+
+"Did you see anything remarkable in that dark cellar?" inquired a voice
+from above as we ascended through the trap.
+
+"Why didn't you come along?" was the laughing response.
+
+"I've not trained down to the proper size yet," rejoined the fat man who
+could be jolly on all occasions. "Do you think that a man of my size
+could squeeze through a hole like that?"
+
+[Illustration: ENTERED THE GRAND HALL OF COLUMNS.]
+
+By a long stone stairway of easy steps we ascended leisurely to the
+roof, stopping frequently to admire the ceremonial procession of priests
+pictured on the walls of the staircase. From the flat stone roof we saw
+on one side the green cultivated fields extending to the river's edge
+and on the other side the yellow desert stretching to the distant
+cliffs.
+
+"This is a picture of Cleopatra and her son Caesarion," said Mahmoud, as
+we inspected the reliefs on the outer walls, "and this is King Ptolemy
+offering incense to the gods Osiris and Isis, and hawk-headed Horus
+their son. Here also is Hathor's picture repeated many times."
+
+The trip down the river Nile on the fine steamer Amasis, which had been
+chartered for us, was thoroughly enjoyed by the forty-two people who
+made up the party. The staterooms were bright and clean and the meals
+served were equal to those of a first class hotel. The captain and his
+officials did all they could to make the trip pleasant for us. Life on
+board was a life of ease; the air though warm was balmy and restful, and
+cares were forgotten. The centre of the upper deck was roofed over but
+open at the sides with rugs on the floor, easy chairs, small tables, and
+a piano. In this open piazza-parlor we sipped the coffee that was served
+to us there after luncheon and after dinner. There, too, we partook of
+the tea and cakes that were handed around at four o'clock, and when we
+returned from excursions on shore, tired and warm, we found refreshing
+lemonade ready to quench our thirst.
+
+[Illustration: RELIEFS ON THE OUTER WALL.]
+
+Our dragoman, Mahmoud Achmed, the Egyptian conductor of all our
+sight-seeing excursions on land, was an interesting character and became
+a great favorite. He was a native of Luxor and while we were at that
+place his bright-eyed little girl, neatly dressed, came to meet us.
+Mahmoud had a fund of information regarding the history of the country,
+the legends of the gods, and the fabulous deeds of the ancient kings. He
+had a most interesting way of interspersing history with mythical tales
+and humorous incidents, and so kept the party in high spirits. Mahmoud
+was noted, too, for his ability to answer intelligently all reasonable
+inquiries and for his great patience in replying to many questions, that
+must have appeared to him very silly. Each day on the boat while we were
+all seated at dinner, Mahmoud came into the dining saloon and announced
+the program for the following days, always beginning: "Ladies and
+gentlemen, if you please," and closing with, "Monument tickets are very
+much wanted. Galloping donkeys is not allowed."
+
+For some one to mislay or forget a permit was a daily occurrence and the
+caution had to be repeated often. As to the donkeys, the riders paid no
+attention to the restriction, but walked, trotted, or galloped the
+donkeys as they felt inclined.
+
+During the daytime Mahmoud wore a plain gown suitable for traveling on
+shore in heat and dust, but in the evenings he was resplendent in robes
+of silk. One night, at the request of one of the ladies, he brought to
+the mid-deck five handsome silk gowns to be inspected by the tourists.
+He also brought his book of references written by people whom he had
+conducted. In this we read the dignified prose of preacher and college
+president, the practical remarks of business men, and the nonsensical
+lines of the rhymster. One of his feminine admirers, seemingly impressed
+by the dragoman's silk robes, polite attention, and general good humor,
+had left the following jingle on the record:
+
+    Who guided us all about the show,
+    Whether we wanted to go or no,
+    And always pleased and made us go?
+                                      Mahmoud.
+
+    Who whipped the donkey when he fell
+    And then the donkey boy as well,
+    And dressed himself a howling swell?
+                                      Mahmoud.
+
+    Who sat so sweetly at my feet
+    With red tarbouche and slippers neat
+    And stirred my heart with many a beat?
+                                      Mahmoud.
+
+    And now, when all the trip is done
+    Rides to temples, and tombs, and fun,
+    We may forget them all save one,
+                                      Mahmoud.
+
+
+[Illustration: THIS IS A PICTURE OF CLEOPATRA AND HER SON.]
+
+Mahmoud took great pride in showing his many references in prose and
+rhyme, and the members of our party were glad to contribute in prose to
+his collection. But at the end of the week we presented him with another
+testimonial of a more practical kind.
+
+"The Nile is a most wonderful river," remarked the professor one evening
+as we sat on the open deck watching the moonlight glisten on the green
+water. "Several other rivers rival it in length; the Congo is noted for
+its size; the Amazon, swelled by great tributaries, discharges a volume
+of water immensely greater; and the Missouri, including the Mississippi
+to the Gulf, may be longer; but the Nile is unique in that for twelve
+hundred miles it flows without a tributary through a rainless region.
+Not a drop of rain nor a single brook adds to its volume in all that
+distance, and a hot sun, canals, ditches, sakiyehs, shadoofs, and water
+carriers are continually taking away from it throughout every mile of
+its winding course. The river is wider here but it has less volume than
+one thousand miles farther up the stream. It is unique also in the
+regularity of the annual inundations, which begin on almost the same
+day, continue the same length of time, and rise to an almost similar
+height each year, and have done so annually for untold centuries. In our
+land a flood is a disaster causing loss and sorrow; in this country it
+is a blessing producing wealth and joy. When the slowly rising waters
+each year reach the figures on the stone column of the Nilometer which
+show that the Nile has spread abroad his fertile bounty by covering the
+cultivable lands, and has filled the dams and ditches for future needs,
+the news is spread abroad and the people rejoice with festivities and
+processions."
+
+[Illustration: 'TWAS SCENES LIKE THESE WE LOOKED UPON.]
+
+Before taking the trip on the Nile we had thought that the days on the
+river might become monotonous and tiresome; but we found, on the
+contrary, that every hour was full of interest. Each day some excursion
+on shore was taken. One day the patient donkeys carried the tourists on
+a long trip to the ruins of the great temple of Seti at Abydos to view
+its sculptured columns and famous list of kings. On another day
+carriages conveyed us to the rock tombs on the limestone hills above
+Assiout and we visited the bazaars and the noted potteries of that busy
+town. On the last day of our sail the donkeys of Bedrashen were called
+into service for a ride through the palm forest and green fields, past
+the fallen columns of Ramses, to Sakkara, the tombs of the sacred bulls,
+and the pictured tombs of Ptahhotep and Ti.
+
+[Illustration: TROD ROUND AND ROUND THE WHEEL.]
+
+[Illustration: THE COLUMNS AT ABYDOS ARE OF GREAT SIZE.]
+
+"This is the height of enjoyment," said a member of our party one day
+while we were lounging in easy chairs taking afternoon tea on the deck,
+and lazily watching the panoramic scenes as the Amasis steamed down the
+river.
+
+[Illustration: DOTTED WITH PILES OF YELLOW WATER-JARS.]
+
+It was scenes like these we looked upon. Along the banks of the river at
+short intervals, the shadoof man, or drawer of water, with his shadoof
+resembling an old-fashioned spring-pole or well sweep, drew up his
+dripping bucket and lowered it again, his only garment an apron at the
+waist.
+
+    All through the day the red-brown man
+    Stands on his perch in the red-brown bank;
+    Waters never more gratefully ran,
+    Cucumbers never more greedily drank.
+
+    --Canon Rawnsley.
+
+Where the bank was very high, a series of two, three, or four natives,
+each with his spring-pole, raised the water one to the other until it
+reached the top and was poured into the little channels that carried it
+over the rich, but very thirsty soil of a rainless land. On the
+river-bank, also, interspersed with the shadoofs of the poorer class of
+agriculturists, the more prosperous farmers, who were the happy
+possessors of buffaloes or camels, lifted the irrigating water from the
+stream by means of sakiyehs, or wooden power wheels, which creaked
+unceasingly as the patient camels or buffaloes, with eyes covered by
+blinders of mud, trod round and round the wheel.
+
+    Rough clout upon his patient head,
+    The stately camel round doth go,
+    With gentle hesitating tread;
+    And yoked, and blind with frontlets, made
+    Of black Nile mud, the buffalo
+    Plies with him his unequal trade.
+
+    --Canon Rawnsley.
+
+A large Dahabeah with rugs, easy chairs, and piano on deck, and the
+stars and stripes hanging listlessly overhead, floated by, propelled by
+fourteen Arab rowers--there being no wind to fill the sails. A drove of
+gray buffaloes, forty in number, were taking their bath, splashing the
+water like a party of schoolboys in a swimming pool. A group of women
+filled earthen jars at the water's edge, and with the dripping jars on
+their heads mounted the steep river bank. Here and there were irregular
+groups of mud huts, intersected by crooked alleys and surrounded by date
+palms, little villages where doves were flying overhead and from which
+came the sound of barking dogs to mingle with the puffs of the steamer.
+Flat-bottomed boats freighted with sugar cane lay with drooping sails in
+a noonday calm, or, later in the day, sped before the evening breeze.
+Near the pottery towns the river banks were dotted with yellow water
+jars in scattered piles ready for shipment to the city market. Immense
+stacks of the sugar-cane just harvested had been brought to the shore
+for conveyance to the sugar factories. And fields of cotton covered with
+white bloom extended into the distance.
+
+We could see, too, the fertile Nile valley, not more than ten miles in
+breadth at its widest part, bounded on both sides by ranges of yellow,
+barren cliffs. On the western side the cliffs were farthest away; on the
+eastern side the valley was narrow, and the cliffs were sometimes
+distant, sometimes so near that they completely crowded out the
+cultivable soil and approached to the water's edge.
+
+"There is something peculiar in the air of this dry land," observed one
+of the tourists after sitting quiet awhile. "The atmosphere lends a
+softness to the outlines of distant objects and adds delicate tints in
+the afternoon light. See how the barren cliffs are glorified with a
+flush of pink, the wheat fields are a brilliant green, and the barley
+fields, almost ready for the harvest, are golden. Even the mud huts and
+the white-washed mosque of that village on the western shore have lost
+their crude outlines and have become picturesque. At sunset the western
+sky will change to crimson and the eastern cliffs will change to gold.
+The sunsets, though, are not so gorgeous in coloring, nor do they show
+such striking contrasts as I have seen occasionally in my western home,
+but they are beautiful."
+
+[Illustration: ALL EYES WERE FIXED ON THE MAGICIAN'S MOVEMENTS.]
+
+During the latter part of our sail down the Nile, where the river
+broadened and was shallow, we had some interesting experiences with
+sandbars.
+
+"This is the Amasis' last trip of the season," said one of the officers
+as we stood on the upper deck at the bow of the steamer watching two
+sailors poling below. "The Nile always falls rapidly in the spring, the
+channels change, new sandbars form, and navigation becomes difficult.
+The water is now very low, and we have to be careful and alert wherever
+the river broadens as it does here before us."
+
+On account of the indications of shallowness ahead the Amasis was
+steaming very slowly, occasionally merely drifting with the current. The
+two Arab boatmen stationed in the bow continually tested the depth of
+the water with poles and shouted in Arabic the results of their
+measurements to the anxious commander on the deck above. Notwithstanding
+these precautions, our steamer occasionally scraped on the sandbars,
+sometimes sticking on them for a short time.
+
+"Surely this is an unlucky day," exclaimed the captain later, looking
+at his watch as we came within sight of a railroad bridge with a draw in
+it that was then being closed for an approaching train. "It is now four
+o'clock, and, according to the official rules, that drawbridge is
+closed for the day and will not be opened for steamers to pass through
+until nine o'clock to-morrow morning. We shall have to anchor here until
+that time. That last stop of half an hour on the sandbar robs us of half
+a day's time."
+
+[Illustration: SHOVING FROM ITS DECK WITH LONG POLES.]
+
+The delay at the bridge was provoking, but a greater test of the temper
+of the officers and patience of the passengers was to come. On Friday
+morning while at breakfast we felt a jar that caused the vessel suddenly
+to stop. We heard an unusual puffing of the engine and felt vibrations
+that caused the steamer to tremble and the dishes to rattle.
+
+"What's the matter? What's the trouble?" cried several.
+
+"Struck another sandbar," laconically remarked the doctor at the end of
+the table. "Eat your breakfast. We'll be off in a few minutes."
+
+But succeeding events proved that the doctor was a false prophet. For
+during the next twenty hours the Amasis lay helpless in the midst of the
+stream, notwithstanding all the attempts of the officials and crew to
+free her from the bar, and it was not until Saturday morning that their
+efforts were crowned with success and the steamer floated free.
+
+However, we took the doctor's advice the first morning and finished our
+omelet and coffee. Then we hurried to the deck to investigate and ask
+numberless questions of the worried officials. Our baggage had been
+packed in anticipation of landing before noon at Cairo, which was but
+sixty miles distant, and we feared that a delay might interfere with our
+plans for a busy afternoon of sight-seeing in the city.
+
+"'Misery loves company,' says an old proverb. If that is true we should
+be happy," remarked one of the tourists as we gathered on the deck
+gazing at an animated scene. "Look! There are thirty boats in the same
+predicament as our own."
+
+[Illustration: PALMS GROW ON THE SITE OF ANCIENT MEMPHIS.]
+
+Within sight in different directions on the wide river lay thirty
+loaded feluccas stranded on the bars, and in addition to these were
+sixty-five others not aground. Alongside of one laden with live cattle a
+dozen sailors were in the shallow water, shouting and splashing,
+endeavoring to push their sloop off the bar. On many of the stranded
+sloops the sailors were transferring parts of their cargoes to other
+boats which were not aground. At some places the dark-hued laborers were
+shoveling grain from a stranded felucca into a lighter one; at others
+they were carrying unwieldy bundles of sugar-cane from one deck to
+another. Here they were handling, with much difficulty, large blocks of
+stone; there throwing yellow water-jars one at a time, passing
+red-bricks slowly, or shifting stacks of green clover from deck to deck.
+They accompanied the work of disburdening the vessels with strange cries
+and chants in which the name of Allah noticeably recurred, occasionally
+stopping to test the result of their labor by plunging into the water
+and pushing the felucca, or by shoving from its deck with long poles.
+
+One of the officers of the Amasis with some sailors in a row-boat
+carried an anchor to its cable's length from the steamer and dropped it
+in the water, then a donkey-engine on deck to which the cable was
+attached was started and the steamer shook with the throbs of the engine
+endeavoring to pull it off the bar toward the anchor. Unsuccessful in
+tugging the steamer in that direction, they raised the anchor into the
+row-boat and took it to other locations one after another; but the
+engine panted and throbbed in vain. In the meantime the captain had gone
+to a village on the shore, had hired sixty natives, and brought them
+out in boats. The Arabs, dropping off their long blue gowns, and arrayed
+only in loin cloths, jumped into the water, which was not over three
+feet in depth. Then, placing their shoulders against the steamer, the
+gang of naked Arabs, chanting in unison a prayer to Allah for help and
+protection, pushed, or pretended to push, in order to assist the puffing
+engine in its task. With intermissions for rest, the pushing, the
+throbbing, and the chanting of the Arabic song, "Allah il Allah, Allah
+il Allah," continued during the remainder of the day.
+
+[Illustration: THE PROSTRATE BROKEN STATUE OF RAMSES II IS ENORMOUS.]
+
+There was so much of interest happening around them that the passengers
+could scarcely take time to eat their meals, and their disappointment in
+not reaching Cairo was almost forgotten.
+
+"This has been to me one of the most interesting days of the trip. I
+will mark it with a red letter," said one of our party in the evening.
+"I do not regret the delay. I would not have missed those amusing and
+novel sights for anything."
+
+When efforts were resumed at dawn on Saturday, the Amasis floated free,
+and before noon we arrived at Cairo. Our joyous trip on the Nile, with
+its pleasant associations of fellow voyagers, dragomen, donkey boys,
+temples, tombs, and gallops over the sand, was at an end.
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+NAPLES AND POMPEII.
+
+
+By noon on Sunday, March twenty-second, the various parties had
+reassembled as one large family on board the Moltke in the harbor of
+Alexandria, and shortly afterward they saw the land of the palms
+disappear from sight below the horizon. Friends and acquaintances who
+had chosen different excursions on land and had been separated for some
+time had many experiences to relate to one another. Some, who had taken
+the Damascus trip, gave a description of the magnificent ruins of the
+famous temple of Baalbek and of the enormous size of the granite blocks
+which lay scattered over the ground at that place, and displayed
+bargains in hammered brass and silken rugs which they had secured in the
+bazaars of the oldest city in the world. Others, who had taken a sail on
+blue Galilee and a journey on horseback through the interior of
+Palestine, told of the unexpected luxuries of camp life, of squalid
+villages and more squalid inhabitants, of bridgeless streams that had to
+be forded, of Arab camps and Bedouin chiefs, and of towns, mountains,
+plains, and wells, the names of which were familiar to the student of
+the Bible. They showed to their friends albums in which they had pressed
+the flowers gathered in villages where the Savior once strayed, or
+culled in fields through which He probably had trod. Some who had taken
+a carriage ride to the Dead Sea and the River Jordan described the
+loneliness of the road and the armed Bedouin protectors who accompanied
+them, the dilapidated condition of Jericho, the desolate shores and
+bitter salty taste of the Sea, the muddy banks of the River Jordan and a
+row on the rapid stream. Their souvenirs were vials filled with salt
+water from the Sea, and bottles of the fresh, but not very clear water
+from Jordan's stream.
+
+[Illustration: ON THE BANK OF THE RIVER JORDAN.]
+
+"The only place where we were treated with disrespect during our trip
+was in Hebron," said one of a group around a table in the library.
+"There the natives were an ill-tempered set. They scowled as if
+resentful of our presence, and when we were driving away some hoodlums
+of the town threw chunks of mud and stone after our carriage."
+
+"That reminds me," said another, "of a picture I want to show you. On
+the landing at Esneh up the Nile we thought that our clothes would be
+torn to pieces by the natives, but not through ill-will. The donkey boys
+were so eager to secure our custom that a struggle ensued in which
+donkey boys, donkeys, and tourists were inextricably mixed until the
+dragoman used his whip. My brother took a snap-shot of the scene just as
+Achmet raised his whip."
+
+Some of the tourists had stayed ten days in Jerusalem, some twelve days
+in Cairo, others had been at Philae and the Cataract of the Nile. Each
+one was enthusiastic over his trip and appeared to be satisfied with the
+way in which the eighteen days in Palestine and Egypt had been spent.
+
+Monday dawned cloudy with some wind and rain, and although the weather
+was not stormy, the boat had that uneasy motion which had been felt once
+before on the Mediterranean. Many of the tourists, believing prevention
+better than cure, remained in their staterooms, or, snugly wrapped,
+reclined in their steamer chairs on deck and had luncheon served to them
+there, fewer than half the seats at the dining table being occupied.
+
+On Tuesday, however, the sea was as smooth as a river. The "Captain's
+Dinner," which had been postponed from the previous day on account of
+the weather, was announced for the evening, and the dining room was
+handsomely decorated with flags, garlands of artificial roses, and
+additional lights for the special occasion. The depression of Monday was
+forgotten and the tourists were in a happy humor.
+
+[Illustration: FILLED VIALS WITH WATER FROM THE DEAD SEA.]
+
+At the dinner the Captain made a neat speech referring to the pleasant
+relations during the voyage and the separation which was shortly to take
+place. The judge, in behalf of the passengers, responded in a jovial
+vein. "Three cheers for the Captain" were given with enthusiasm,
+followed by "He's a jolly good fellow," heartily sung. Every one arose
+as the orchestra played "America," and later, when the stars and
+stripes were dropped from overhead, all rose again to accompany the
+orchestra in the "Star Spangled Banner." Then the electric lights were
+turned out and while we sat in darkness, the stewards and waiters,
+dressed in fantastic costumes of various nations, entered and in a long
+procession marched around the room, each waiter carrying aloft an
+illuminated tower of ice-cream, and each steward a dish of bonbons. When
+the bonbons, containing whistles and fancy caps, were opened, the
+dignity of judge, professor, and minister was laid aside and the
+tourists were a joyous, noisy crowd of children.
+
+While we were at dinner the promenade deck was cleared of chairs,
+decorated with flags, and illuminated with Chinese lanterns in
+preparation for a masked ball which was to be the crowning and closing
+event of the day. In this fancy-dress carnival many of the passengers
+appeared dressed in fantastic gowns prepared during the day, or as
+Orientals in costumes that had been purchased in Eastern cities.
+
+While the maskers and onlookers were enjoying the music and sport, the
+Moltke was steaming northward through the Strait of Messina. On the
+right shone the lighthouses of Italy and the lights of the Italian town
+of Reggio; on the left gleamed the flash-lights of Sicily and long rows
+of twinkles revealed the location of the large city of Messina.
+
+On rising Wednesday morning we found the sea perfectly smooth with
+scarcely a ripple to disturb its blue surface. The Moltke was speeding
+through the waters with an almost imperceptible motion. On our left was
+the island of Capri, famous for its blue grotto, and the morning
+sunlight playing on its rugged shores, revealed a white road cut in the
+rocky cliffs, zigzagging up the side of the hill from the village at the
+base to the village on the summit. As the steamer coasted the Italian
+shore, we saw dimly through the mist the bay and town of Salerno, then
+picturesque Sorrento perched among the rocks, and, in the distance,
+fog-crowned Mount Vesuvius with a thin column of smoke ascending from
+the crater, and many towns and villages at its base. Directly ahead of
+us were the bay of Naples and the city, partially hidden from our sight
+by a fog. Just before reaching the quarantine station a small steamer
+crowded with passengers emerged from the fog and crossed the course of
+the Moltke, narrowly escaping destruction.
+
+The Moltke dropped anchor at quarantine and a yellow flag was run to the
+top of the mast to remain floating there until the Italian physician had
+completed his examination and was convinced that there were not, and had
+not been, any cases of plague, cholera, or contagious disease on the
+ship. During the detention at quarantine a large mail was brought on
+board. We crowded eagerly into the office inquiring for letters. The
+stewards, not taking time to distribute the mail in the boxes, called
+out the addresses, and little thought was given to anything else until
+letters and papers were obtained and the news from home devoured.
+
+The fog soon rolled away and Naples, beautifully situated on the
+crescent-shaped shores of the bay, was disclosed to view. From the deck
+of the steamer we saw a picture unsurpassed in color and composition
+by any previously beheld, excepting, perhaps, the view of Constantinople
+from the Bosporus, or the panorama of Algiers seen from the sea; but
+each one of the three pictures was unique and beyond comparison. But
+here, as at Constantinople, distance lent an enchantment to the view;
+for a closer inspection after landing revealed on the white and yellow
+and pink buildings ravages of time and unsightly stains of smoke and
+grime unnoticed from the bay.
+
+[Illustration: THE GREAT DOORWAY OF THE TEMPLE OF HORUS AT EDFU.]
+
+We had no sooner reached the street, ready for sight-seeing, than the
+cabriolet drivers thronged about, importuning us to ride in the low open
+carriages that comfortably carry two persons.
+
+"How much to the Cathedral?" we asked one of the drivers, using an
+expression that we thought the Italian might comprehend.
+
+"One lira the course, one and a half lire the hour," he succeeded in
+getting us to understand.
+
+"Only ten cents each. And it's fully two miles to the Cathedral!"
+exclaimed my companion. "But we have a number of places to visit," he
+added, "and it will be better to engage the cab by the hour. Show him
+your watch and make a note of the time."
+
+At the entrance of the Cathedral, the beggars asking alms reminded us of
+the description of similar scenes at the gate of the Temple in the
+Savior's time. A blind man standing by the door called loudly upon the
+passers-by to have pity on him, a cripple seated on the steps with rough
+crooked crutches by his side stretched out his hand for aid, and a fat
+dirty woman with a tiny babe in her arms whiningly cried, "poveretta
+mia! poveretta mia!"
+
+[Illustration: I. THE ISLAND OF CAPRI.]
+
+[Illustration: II. VILLAGE AT ITS BASE AND VILLAGE ON ITS SUMMIT.]
+
+The regular services in the Cathedral were over when we entered, but
+many people were in the building. Some were in silent adoration before
+the Cross at the magnificent high altar; some were worshiping at the
+foot of the Virgin, or praying at the shrines of the saints; others were
+contritely kneeling at the confessional boxes with faces close to the
+little grated windows, whispering deeds of misdoing to the confessor
+within and awaiting the father's words of penance or of absolution. We
+followed a crowd of Italians who were going into a chapel at the side
+where preparations were being made for a special service. There being no
+pews or sittings in the chapel, but a few plain chairs for hire, we paid
+the verger two cents for the use of a chair and waited. Wooden benches
+were placed in line to form an aisle and a number of women and children
+knelt at the benches, each holding a large unlighted candle.
+
+A cardinal in a red robe came down the aisle, accompanied by a surpliced
+acolyte bearing a cup of oil. As the cardinal passed each kneeling
+person, he dipped his thumb into the oil and then, repeating a formula,
+made a sign of the cross with his thumb on the worshiper's forehead. A
+priest in black cassock and a chorister in white followed the cardinal,
+the priest wiping the foreheads with a piece of cotton and the chorister
+taking the candles which were handed to him as offerings to the church.
+
+The doors of the magnificently adorned Cathedral were open to rich and
+poor alike; but the poor were in the majority, and among them appeared
+such cases of slovenly poverty as we had not seen elsewhere, not even in
+Jerusalem or Constantinople, for in the Moslem cities fountains were at
+the gates of the mosques and no worshiper entered the sacred edifice
+with soiled hands or feet. Three cases of slovenliness we noted
+particularly. A woman of middle age, with tangled hair, torn, untidy
+dress and soiled, stockingless feet partially covered by dilapidated
+slippers, was violating the rules of the church by sidling up to
+strangers and stealthily begging within the building; a boy, probably
+sixteen years of age, hatless, shoeless, coatless, with pantaloons in
+need of patches and body in need of soap, stood gazing curiously at the
+ceremony; and a man whose whole attire consisted of a ragged shirt and
+cotton trousers, with marks of grime on hands, neck, and face, leaned
+carelessly against a pillar with bare feet thrust forward. But these
+were extreme and exceptional cases of untidiness, the worshipers
+generally being neatly clad and careful of their personal appearance.
+
+The military band was playing on a platform when we visited the park and
+the paths and the grass plats were filled with people, many standing and
+a few seated on chairs. Noticing some unoccupied chairs, we sat down to
+listen to the music and watch the life and movement of a Neapolitan
+crowd. We had scarcely taken our places when a woman with a badge and a
+bag approached, demanding ten centessimi for each seat. "Gratia!" she
+said when paid, and "Gratia!" we responded, grateful for a comfortable
+resting place.
+
+"I thought, before we started on this trip, that sight-seeing prolonged
+day after day might become monotonous and that I might lose interest,"
+remarked one of the group seated on the chairs, "but, on the contrary, I
+find continual variety. Our drive through the beautiful residence
+section and suburbs on the heights this morning was charming, and the
+extensive landscape and marine view from the Convent of Camaldoli is
+unsurpassed, save by the view from Mustapha Superieur. Each place
+visited has differed so thoroughly from all the others that my interest
+is as intense now as when we landed at fascinating Funchal."
+
+"In each city I am compelled to replenish my stock of films; I find so
+many pleasing subjects," replied an artist who always had his camera
+with him. "Did you see those women on the hillside road at Capri
+carrying wine kegs on their heads? They posed for me to take a picture
+of the group. It was not necessary to tell them to look pleasant; every
+face wore a smile. I am sorry that my kodak does not reproduce colors.
+The dresses of the women, though worn and faded, were very picturesque
+in their combinations of scarlets, blues, and yellows."
+
+"And I regret that cameras cannot reproduce the beautiful azure and
+silver tints of the interior of the Blue Grotto just as we saw it
+yesterday," said one of the ladies who was collecting photographs and
+postal cards. "I want a good picture of the Grotto Azzurra but I cannot
+find one. Those that are offered for sale are such poor imitations."
+
+After the concert was over, we entered the salt water aquarium of
+Naples, which is famous throughout Europe as the finest and largest
+ichthyological collection in the world. In the glass tanks curious sea
+fish darted through the water, grotesque sea monsters crawled over the
+pebbles, and transparent jelly fish floated slowly; pink and white sea
+anemones, like a bed of flowers, opened and closed, and diminutive sea
+animals, almost invisible, spread thread-like tentacles; sponges and
+coral grew upon the rocks, and mollusks showed by their movements that
+they had life.
+
+One evening we drove to the suburban village of Posilipo and from the
+cliffs at that place saw the sun descend in glory, a golden ball
+dropping into a radiant sea. While we were returning, a picturesque
+beggar with a crooked stick and one string across it trotted alongside
+our carriage, trying to convince us that he was a musician and his music
+worth a penny. At dusk, an Italian boy ran alongside the carriage,
+opened and lit the carriage lamps while the horse was moving at a rapid
+gait, and asked for payment.
+
+Naples is a city of striking contrasts. It was interesting to study
+them. We drove over well paved streets, admiring marble palaces, great
+hotels, and beautiful homes; but with feelings very different from
+admiration we walked through narrow, filthy thoroughfares, densely
+populated, where networks of clothes lines with garments of all colors
+hung overhead. We saw high-spirited horses and superb carriages in the
+avenues and parks, and teams of handsome cream-colored oxen in the
+suburbs: but we saw also in the highways, small, rough-coated donkeys
+overburdened with panniers of fruit; tall, bony horses mismatched with
+diminutive donkeys; incongruous teams composed of a cow and a donkey,
+or a large ox and a small cow; and a team even more grotesquely made up
+of a horse, a cow, and a donkey. We saw the elite of the city elegantly
+dressed in the latest fashion promenading in the shopping districts; but
+on the sidewalks of the tenement district we saw slovenly barefooted
+women washing clothes, cooking maccaroni, scrubbing children in a tub,
+and combing children's hair with fine combs, regardless of our curious
+gaze. Here, too, we saw boys, apparently eight or ten years of age,
+playing in the streets with no other clothing than a shirt reaching to
+the knees, and women peddlers of mineral water dressed in ragged red
+blouses and blue skirts, who, with disordered hair and stockingless,
+slipshod feet, shuffled by pushing hand-carts filled with earthen jugs.
+
+[Illustration: PEASANT GIRLS THEIR BURDENS BEAR.]
+
+On the avenues street peddlers besought us to purchase canes, matches,
+coral beads, and souvenirs cut out of lava, but asked prices four or
+five times their actual value. On the narrow streets dealers in cooked
+viands for the home trade did an active business at low prices, but did
+not think it worth while to offer us the hot potatoes, maccaroni, fried
+fish, and stewed meats which they prepared on little sidewalk stoves.
+
+[Illustration: AMALFI, WHERE THE WAVES AND MOUNTAINS MEET.]
+
+The trip from Naples to Pompeii was made by rail in less than an hour.
+At the gates of the enclosure we each paid an admission fee of two lire,
+or forty cents, and official guides were assigned to conduct the party
+through the streets of the excavated city.
+
+"About one hundred and fifty years ago," explained the guide, "a farmer
+ploughed up some objects of art in this locality. The government,
+hearing of the discovery, ordered investigation to be made. Removal of
+the soil disclosed a house and furniture and articles of value. The
+excavations, carried on irregularly for a century, then continued
+regularly but slowly for the past fifty years and still in progress,
+revealed the ancient city that had been smothered in ashes and buried
+from sight for eighteen hundred years. The wooden roofs, crushed in by
+the weight above them, had crumbled into dust, but the walls and
+columns, the altars and statues, the fountains and baths, the paved
+streets and mosaic pavements, and the frescoes on the walls had been
+preserved by the covering of ashes, and were in almost as good condition
+as when deserted by the terror-stricken inhabitants. All articles of
+value, as soon as found by the excavators, were carried away to the
+museums and carefully preserved; but the uncovered walls were left
+exposed to the weather, and, as you will see, are badly damaged and
+defaced. The government for the past few years, however, has been
+protecting the newly excavated buildings by enclosing and roofing them
+over, and in these we shall find the beautiful Pompeian red and blue
+colors and the dainty frescoes well preserved on the walls."
+
+[Illustration: BEARING PANNIERS OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.]
+
+This ancient city of probably only twenty-five thousand inhabitants had
+improvements that we now designate as modern. The streets, just wide
+enough for one wagon track with narrow footways on each side, were paved
+with square flat stones in which the chariots had cut deep wheel ruts.
+The public baths had separate rooms for men and women, exercise courts,
+sweating rooms, furnace heat, hot baths, cold baths, capacious marble
+plunge tanks, and cooling rooms in which the bathers, cleansed, oiled,
+and perfumed, could rest after the bath. The water supply was
+distributed through the city in the same manner as in our own cities.
+Lead water pipes conducted the water through streets and into buildings.
+Bronze stopcocks governed the fountains, and bronze inlets and outlets
+regulated the supply at the marble baths.
+
+"The Pompeian plumbers used good material and did good work," commented
+a manufacturer after examining the plumbing.
+
+"If I could produce paints that would endure for centuries, and have
+them laid on as the Pompeian artists applied them, my fortune would soon
+be made," remarked another, who had been impressed particularly by the
+brightness of the red and blue on the walls of the House of Sallust.
+"But," he added, "the secret of making paint that will endure the
+ravages of time has been lost."
+
+In a baker's shop we saw four small stone mills in which grain had been
+converted to flour by hand power, the stones having been revolved by
+means of long wooden handles. Near the mills was an oven similar to
+those of the present time.
+
+"In this oven a number of loaves of bread were found," said the guide.
+
+"Yes," answered one of our party, "we saw fourteen loaves in the Museum
+of Naples yesterday and were told that it was the oldest bread in
+existence. The loaves were well preserved in form but were as black as
+charcoal."
+
+[Illustration: MADE A PICTURE THAT PLEASED THE ARTIST.]
+
+Our interest in Pompeii was heightened by our previously having visited
+the Naples Museum, where a multitude of articles found during the
+excavations were on exhibition. There we had examined hundreds of
+objects of art, marble statues, bronze statues, mosaics, vases,
+frescoes, and paintings; we had seen thousands of ornaments for personal
+adornment, necklaces, cameos, bracelets, rings, chains, and toilet
+accessories and had looked at numberless articles for household use,
+such as stoves, lamps, dishes, and kitchen utensils. Even food was not
+lacking in the exhibition, being represented by olives in a jar, oil in
+bottles, charred walnuts, almonds, figs, wheat, and eggs. These things,
+abandoned by the fugitives in their wild flight, helped us to imagine
+the taste and manner of living of the Pompeians before the destruction
+of their city.
+
+"This is the Amphitheatre," said the guide, as we assembled around him
+in the arena of a large structure. "Here fights between wild beasts,
+gladiatorial combats, and other great spectacles took place. Underneath
+the seats on one side are the dens where the lions and tigers were kept
+in a starving condition to make them ferocious, and underneath on the
+other side are the dungeons where prisoners were confined until forced
+into the arena to meet the wild beasts. On the hill nearby are the
+barracks where the gladiators lived and trained for combats." An
+announcement of an oldtime entertainment remains inscribed on one of the
+stone walls. It reads as follows:
+
+     Twenty pairs of gladiators, at the expense of Decimus, a priest,
+     and ten pairs of gladiators, at the expense of Lucretius, will
+     fight at Pompeii on the eleventh of April. There will be a complete
+     hunting scene, and the awnings will be spread.
+
+Another inscription on the wall stated:
+
+     On the dedication of the baths, at the expense of Maius, there will
+     be a hunt, athletic sports, showering of perfumes, etc., at the
+     Amphitheatre.
+
+"There was also a Tragic Theatre in Pompeii," continued the guide. "It
+was reserved for dramatic performances. The stone tiers seated an
+audience of five thousand. The Amphitheatre and the Tragic were open to
+the sky, but both were provided with awnings that could be spread above
+the seats to protect the people from the sun."
+
+[Illustration: I. LATELY EXCAVATED ARE CAREFULLY PROTECTED.]
+
+[Illustration: II. PUBLIC BATHS WITH ARCADES.]
+
+Almost all of us had read Bulwer-Lytton's novel, "The Last Days of
+Pompeii," and were familiar with his vivid description of the fearful
+eruption of Vesuvius which overwhelmed the city in the year A.D.
+79,--the darkness, the terror of the people, the hasty flight, the roar
+of explosions, the volcanic lightnings, the scorching ashes, the
+sulphurous fumes, and the hot rain. Very interesting to us were the
+places described by Bulwer in his novel; the dwelling of the magistrate
+Pansa, the villa of the wealthy Diomede where eighteen skeletons
+surrounded by provisions and jewels had been found, the house of the
+poet Glaucus whose threshold was guarded by the mosaic of a chained dog
+with the now well known motto 'Cave Canem' or 'Beware of the Dog.' Most
+interesting, perhaps, was the Temple of Isis, in which the most exciting
+incidents of Bulwer's novel took place. There the guide showed us the
+altar, the well, the secret stairway, the platform from which the oracle
+spoke, and the spot where the skeleton of the priest with an ax was
+found.
+
+"Broken columns and ruined walls are all that remain of the grandeur of
+the Forum," explained the guide as he led the way through a triumphal
+arch into a large area. "These extensive marble-paved floors were once
+decorated with statues of the illustrious men of Pompeii."
+
+"The Forum was a bustling place," he continued, as we stood in the
+centre of the area. "In the open court the people met to exchange
+opinions and obtain the news. On the porticoes the money changers made
+loans and the brokers sold real estate and grain. It was the political
+center of the city. Here the magistrates administered justice. Here
+the populace met with joyful acclamations to raise a favorite to power,
+and here, too, angry mobs gathered to compel an offending ruler to
+vacate his office. It was the religious centre as well; for adjoining
+the Forum are the ruins of the Temple of Mercury, the Temple of Venus,
+the Temple of Jupiter, and the Temple of Augustus."
+
+[Illustration: MOST INTERESTING, PERHAPS, IS THE TEMPLE OF ISIS.]
+
+When we were ready to leave Pompeii, after a tramp through other streets
+and a visit to the Museum, the subject of giving a fee to the guide was
+considered. At the gate when entering we had read a notice stating that
+guides furnished by the government were not permitted to accept fees
+from visitors. The guide assigned to us, however, had been very obliging
+and had given much interesting information. Appreciating this we slipped
+into his hand secretly at parting a token of our good will. "Gratia!
+Gratia!" very heartily he responded, assuring us that our gift, the
+forbidden, was acceptable.
+
+After returning from Pompeii to our steamship we found that although the
+evening hours had arrived, the harbor was still a scene of animation.
+Scores of Italian stevedores were carrying baskets of coal on their
+shoulders from barges into the bunkers of the Moltke. Near by other
+laborers were hoisting crates of lemons and oranges and lowering them
+into the hold of an English steamer. A little rowboat with a stove on
+board was running a brisk restaurant business, selling bread, coffee,
+fried eggs, fried potatoes, and fried fish to boatmen and laborers, who
+managed to devour the viands without assistance of plate, knife, or
+fork.
+
+Alongside our steamer a number of boys in a rowboat were making a
+distracting noise with tin pans and crude instruments, looking up in the
+hope that some one would pay them for creating a disturbance. In another
+boat, gaily attired Neapolitan musicians played and sang popular airs in
+a pleasing way that drew coins from the pockets of the hearers. At the
+close of each piece of music one of the women held a spread umbrella
+upside down to catch the coppers that were dropped into it from the deck
+thirty feet above.
+
+"The daylight ends too soon," regretfully observed one of our party, an
+artist of considerable reputation, who, seated in his favorite nook near
+the stern, was endeavoring to complete his color notes and sketches of
+the picturesque scenes before the darkness hid them from view. "But the
+sky above the mountain is reddening and the glow of Vesuvius will give
+me work for to-night."
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+NICE AND MENTONE.
+
+
+Throughout the cruise to the Orient, up to the time of departure from
+Naples, our party of tourists had the great steamer to themselves, there
+being no other passengers on board. At Naples, however, a change took
+place. As the Steamship Company granted us the privilege of remaining
+over in Europe and returning later in the season in some other steamer
+of the same line, a large number of the tourists left the Moltke at
+Naples for side trips on the Continent, and many more intended to leave
+at Nice; so that not more than one-fourth of the original number was
+booked to return direct from Nice to New York. During the time our
+steamer lay at Naples a cargo of freight was taken on board, and on the
+day of departure one thousand steerage passengers ascended the gangway,
+some with valises of curious shape, a few dragging trunks, but the
+greater number with all their possessions in bags or bundles.
+
+At ten o'clock on the night of March thirtieth, we stood at the rail
+watching the lights on the shore gradually disappearing from sight as
+the Moltke steamed away from the harbor.
+
+"What must be the thoughts of these Neapolitan exiles as they sail away
+from 'Sunny Italy,' their place of birth, their homeland, and their
+friends?" mused my friend, referring to the emigrants gazing farewell
+to their native land.
+
+[Illustration: MANY CLOTHES-LINES WERE FILLED.]
+
+"There is sadness in their hearts, for their faces and attitudes show
+it," said he, answering his own question. "Some of the women are
+shedding tears. But they are all hopeful. They have heard that in the
+promised land there is plenty of work, high wages, enough to eat, and,
+what is far better, opportunity to rise. In Italy there is scarcity of
+work, low wages, a chunk of black bread, and nothing better to look
+forward to in the future."
+
+"You are right, young man, there is something to look forward to in
+America, an opportunity to rise in the world," said a fellow tourist,
+well known as a man of wealth and distinction. "I can sympathize with
+these poor people who are seeking to better their condition. Thirty
+years ago I was a poor man, leaving Europe in the steerage as an
+emigrant to the land of promise. I worked my way to the West, became a
+miner, and met with success."
+
+"To reach America appears to be the desire of many in Italy," remarked
+another. "In the elevator of one of the hotels in Naples I found the
+elevator boy studying an English spelling book. He said, 'I am going to
+America as soon as I have money enough; there is a chance for me to
+become something if I can get to New York.' A cab driver asked me if I
+knew his cousin in Chicago. 'My cousin,' said he, 'saved enough money to
+buy a third-class passage to New York. That was just three years ago.
+Now he is sending money home to his friends to take them over. He must
+be doing well. We never have any money to give away.' Money to spare for
+his friends! That told the cabman the story of a golden land."
+
+On Tuesday, as we sailed northward, we passed the island of Elba, on
+which the banished Napoleon remained ten months after his abdication. We
+endeavored to recall the history of the events that preceded the great
+Emperor's first downfall; the campaign in Russia, the burning of Moscow,
+the winter retreat, the depletion of the grand army by frost and hunger.
+But when the little island of Monte Cristo came in sight, memory
+brought to mind pleasanter recollections,--Dumas' story of the "The
+Count of Monte Cristo," so wonderful in our youthful days, Edmond
+Dantes' escape from the dungeon, the cave on the island, and the
+fabulous wealth concealed therein.
+
+On the day of arrival at Nice, hundreds of owners of automobiles from
+all parts of Europe were assembled in that city for trials of speed; the
+morning races had taken place and the dust-covered racers were just
+coming in from their fast runs. On the way to the hotel we saw an
+automobile run over one man and knock another down. An excited French
+woman who was rolled over in the dust but not injured followed the
+offending car to the garage with tongue, hands, and arms all in rapid
+motion. She was giving the chauffeur a tongue-lashing and calling his
+attention to her soiled clothing. Her tirade prompted the chauffeur to
+draw some coins from his pocket and place them in her hand, and then her
+hurt feelings apparently were quickly relieved.
+
+Nice has a delightful climate. It is protected from the cold winds of
+the north by hills and mountains and fanned by the mild breezes of the
+sea. Royalty, beauty, and wealth make their abode in this favorite
+resort on the shore of the Mediterranean during the winter season, and
+English lords, French counts, Russian princes, German barons, and
+American millionaires sojourn at the magnificent hotels or reside in
+beautiful villas.
+
+The season of gaiety was just closing when we arrived and the hotels
+were not crowded, yet there was much to see. It was a pleasure to drive
+on the clean, well-paved avenues, which are shaded by great trees and
+lined with handsome homes and white stone hotels, passing lawns and
+gardens filled with palms, roses, choice flowers, and blooming vines. It
+was interesting to stroll along the sea front for two or three miles on
+a stone pavement fifty feet wide, the popular promenade of the city,
+with the waves of the blue sea rolling almost to your feet on one side
+and the wide avenue filled with handsome teams and motor-cars of every
+description on the other. It was entertaining to secure a chair in the
+park during the afternoon concert, and, comfortably seated, listen to
+the military band, admire the gowns of the French women, and note the
+variety of uniforms worn by the French officers. Those afternoons in the
+park were very restful for there was no hurry nor confusion nor crying
+of wares for sale, and the balmy sea breeze had a soothing effect on the
+nerves.
+
+The weather was delightful and the air pure and clear when, on the
+morning of April fourth, a party of sixteen filled the seats of a
+four-horse drag for a drive from Nice to Mentone over the famous
+Corniche road, a round trip of over forty miles, noted as one of the
+finest drives in Europe. We had decided to go to Mentone over the Upper
+Corniche road, which winds among the mountains, and return by the Lower
+Corniche road, which follows the shores of the sea.
+
+Our driver snapped his long-lashed whip and the horses started off as
+gaily as if they shared our exuberant spirits.
+
+"That is the river Paillon," said the driver, pointing to a diminutive
+stream in the midst of a wide stony bed. "The river has very little
+water in it now, but when the snow melts in the mountains it becomes a
+torrent."
+
+[Illustration: I. WINDS AMONG THE MOUNTAINS.]
+
+[Illustration: II. FOLLOWS THE SHORE OF THE SEA.]
+
+The little stream had a peaceful look. Many washer-women were busily at
+work along its banks, many clothes lines were filled with drying
+garments, and sheets were bleaching on the stones. A number of red
+objects in the distance proved, as we drew nearer, to be a company of
+red-trousered French soldiers washing their linen in the stream. Another
+company in red trousers and white shirts marched by us, carrying their
+bundles to the river. After leaving the river we passed an immense
+public wash trough where forty women were washing clothes and apparently
+having a social time. There was room at the trough for double that
+number.
+
+The macadamized road winding up the mountain side in easy grades,
+supported at many places by walls of substantial masonry, was in perfect
+condition. Occasionally as our team moved slowly upward we heard the
+"honk, honk" of a horn and a racing automobile making a time record flew
+swiftly by and was soon out of sight, or rushing down grade around sharp
+curves at tremendous speed toward us caused some hearts in our coach to
+palpitate in anxiety until the racer had safely passed.
+
+"At this spot a Russian Count and his friend were killed on the morning
+of the races," said our driver as we rounded one particularly sharp
+curve. "The count, expecting to be a winner in the race, was speeding
+his motor-car at the rate of fifty miles an hour, when it swerved
+against the rocks and he and his friend were hurled over the wall and
+crushed to death."
+
+[Illustration: WE LUNCHED IN MENTONE.]
+
+As we ascended the mountains we saw on the slopes below us orchards of
+gray olive trees, in the valleys orchards of dark green orange and lemon
+trees filled with yellow fruit, clean looking white or yellow or pink
+houses with red tile roofs dotting the landscape, and the white stone
+Hotel Regina, beautiful for situation, standing prominent on a summit.
+The rocks in the channel of the Paillon appeared to be a bed of pebbles.
+In the distance, to the south, could be seen the buildings of the city
+we had left and the glistening waters of the sea beyond; on the north,
+wooded hills and terraced mountains; and far away, the snow covered
+summits of the Alps. While we gazed at one of these scenes of beauty,
+the soft mellow tones of a convent bell came pleasingly to our ears.
+
+"Why is it the bells ring so sweetly here?" inquired one of the
+occupants of our coach. "It must have been melodious notes like these
+that pleased the ear of the poet Moore."
+
+At each turn of the road our point of view changed and the panorama
+unrolled before us. We looked down upon a series of beautiful pictures.
+The Mediterranean lay two thousand feet below us, its surface reflecting
+every shade of blue and green, its coast a succession of inlets, bays,
+promontories, and peninsulas. White roads winding among the shrubbery on
+the peninsulas looked like white ribbons on a green background, the red
+tiled houses like little toys, and the harbor of Ville Franche like a
+pond on which floated tiny boats that a child might play with.
+
+"What a picturesque town!" exclaimed a tourist.
+
+"That is the city of Eze. It is a very old city," said the driver.
+
+"Perched among the mountains, with its odd castle on a detached hill
+top," said one of the tourists "it reminds me of a painting by one of
+the old masters. Cimabue, I think, or Perugino. I cannot remember which.
+I am constantly regretting while traveling abroad that we are not more
+proficient in history and art. While the professor and the artist were
+with the party we could turn to them for information. But now we must
+depend upon ourselves."
+
+"Not necessarily," replied another, "for we have Baedeker and the
+guides; and there are the drivers, too, to call upon when they can
+understand our English or we can understand their French."
+
+For some distance beyond Eze the road followed the side of rugged
+limestone cliffs surmounted by fortifications and signal stations. At
+the old, queer-looking town of La Turbie, while the horses rested for an
+hour, we selected postal cards and took kodak views. Soon after leaving
+La Turbie, while descending the mountain, we looked down upon the little
+principality of Monaco, its capital, the city of Monaco, the palace of
+the Prince built upon a rocky promontory, and the white buildings of
+Monte Carlo.
+
+Mentone is a popular winter resort on the Mediterranean with handsome
+houses and flower-filled gardens. Vineyards and groves of orange, lemon,
+and fig trees, cover the hillsides surrounding the city. We lunched in
+Mentone, and were entertained under the palm trees of the hotel garden
+by a band of Italian musicians, one of whom, an amusing character actor
+as well as singer, responded cheerfully to our requests for special
+selections and solos.
+
+[Illustration: THROUGH THE PARK THAT SURROUNDS THE CASINO.]
+
+Our return from Mentone to Nice was through a succession of
+towns and villages. Along this coast road are many white hotels,
+comfortable-looking villas, and trimly kept lawns. In the gardens there
+were century plants, orange, lemon, and palm trees, and rose bushes of
+great size covered with bloom. On the tops of the garden walls, plants
+of various kinds were growing. Some of the walls were covered with long
+clusters of pink geraniums, some gracefully festooned with masses of
+overhanging heliotrope, and others draped with trailing vines aglow with
+scarlet bloom. The exuberant growth and bloom of these flowers attracted
+much attention and drew forth exclamations of delight.
+
+"Did you ever see geraniums and heliotropes growing in such luxuriance?"
+asked one of the ladies.
+
+"Only in my own state," replied a Californian. "There the plants grow to
+immense size and bloom in profusion."
+
+"Do not forget charming Funchal," said another. "Remember that there we
+saw geraniums and fuschias of wonderful size, and vines of pink
+bouguainvillia that covered the mountain-side cottages."
+
+At Monte Carlo, as we drove through the park that surrounds the white
+marble gambling palace, we admired the magnificent parterres of flowers,
+the beds of pansies being especially beautiful in variety of color and
+size of the flowers. On the piazza of the Cafe de Paris, where a band
+was playing, we had afternoon tea and from there watched the throng of
+visitors who were moving along the palm-lined paths or were ascending or
+descending the marble steps of the Casino.
+
+"Is there a charge for admittance?" we inquired of the guard at the
+entrance of the white palace.
+
+"No," he replied. "Present your visiting card at the desk of the
+Secretary in the corridor. He will approve. Then, after you have
+registered your name, a card of admission will be given you."
+
+In the decorated rooms where the games of chance were in operation, many
+handsomely gowned women and well-dressed men were moving from place to
+place conversing in quiet tones, but crowds were centered around the
+roulette tables, where the chairs were all occupied and many people were
+standing. We joined the throng around one of these and saw that the
+table was divided into numbered spaces, some colored red and some black.
+In the centre of the table was a little wheel with spaces to correspond
+in number and color to those on the table. The stakes were silver five
+franc pieces, one or more. No other coins nor bills were permitted on
+the table.
+
+"I will try it," said one of our party after watching the game awhile.
+"I will place a five franc on number seven black."
+
+The table was dotted with silver coins. The croupier touched a spring
+that sent a small ball spinning around the wheel. The ball stopped in
+space three red.
+
+"Three red wins," announced the croupier.
+
+A woman with gray hair and large diamonds in her ears picked up her
+winnings and added them to the stack of silver on the table in front of
+her, and the croupiers with wooden rakes raked in scores of coins that
+had been laid on losing numbers.
+
+At some of the tables in the magnificent apartments of the Casino the
+stakes were higher, twenty franc gold pieces being used, and at these
+tables, eager players, infatuated with the game, hazarded handfuls of
+gold on the turn of the wheel.
+
+"The chances to win or lose appear to be about even," said the
+Californian. "They must, however, be in favor of the Casino; for the
+company requires a large income to meet the enormous expenses incurred
+in keeping up this handsome palace and grounds with thousands of
+employees, croupiers, guards, gardeners, and care-takers. In addition,
+the company pays a heavy tax to the Prince of Monaco, and yet is said to
+have large profit."
+
+[Illustration: THE POPULAR PROMENADE OF THE CITY.]
+
+When our coach arrived at the hotel in Nice some one remarked: "You
+appear to be enthusiastic over your drive." We were; there was no doubt
+about it, and we might well have added that we were just as well pleased
+with the whole trip to the Orient. We started with great expectations
+and we were not disappointed.
+
+At Nice, when the Moltke sailed for New York, we parted with feelings of
+regret from many pleasant friends and companions whose acquaintance we
+had made during the trip, and with whom we had been agreeably associated
+on sea and on land.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+Transcriber's Note:
+
+Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without
+note. Some Illustrations have been moved to avoid splitting paragraphs
+and make smoother reading.
+
+Noteworthy corrections:
+Pausanius => Pausanias (p. 110)
+re-remarked => remarked (p. 254)
+cavaran => caravan (p. 281)
+Mahmond => Mahmoud (p. 338)
+symphathize => sympathize (p. 380)
+millionaries => millionaires (p. 381)
+exlaimed => exclaimed (p. 386)
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's A Trip to the Orient, by Robert Urie Jacob
+
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